Yugioh! Dawning of the Future
by MichaelDJ54
Summary: Sequel to Return of the Orichalcos. A year has passed since the Ordeal with the Orichalcos, and now Michael, Claire, Marie and Falco must face a new, very familiar threat in a tournament...please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

_Hello all welcome to my next installment of my Yugioh storyline, or as I like to call this one…_

"_Yu-gi-oh! The Dawning of the Future._

_If you haven't read my previous fiction…heh, you got some reading to do my friend._

_This one isn't going to be as long as my previous work, but I hope it has plenty of turns, twists, and a very, VERY Familiar villain you all know and love…_

_First? Some rules._

_All duels shall be 8,000 Life Points, same rules apply as in the real card game, however, unlike the anime, players CANNOT Summon Monsters in face up Defense Mode._

_Also, I will be taking the liberty on one anime card: Card of Sanctity. However, with this fic, I will attempt to not make every single Duelist use it when they're low on cards, simple as that._

_In addition to that, I will attempt and make some decks that have not appeared in my previous fic, and rest assured my friends, I will not merely have my OC's in here…oh no, we're gonna see quite a bit of our old friends I'm sure you all know and love (Well…tolerate one)._

_I hope this will be a good read to all the duelists and readers out there whom enjoyed my previous story._

_Now then…let the story…begin._

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Chapter One: Prologue

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In a dark and ominous area, a crumbled ruin laid in its wake…

Once the structure where the Leader of the once Proud Seal of Orichalcos stood, proudly commanding his troops and preparing to destroy the World with the Leviathan…

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Orichalcos has risen again, and this time it took a new set of heroes to attempt and take it down.

Michael, the Chosen of Timaeus, a LV Duelist in his own. A young man, when this happened he was 16, soon going on 17 with glasses on and long, messed up hair atop his head and in Slifer Red upon arriving at Duel Academy.

Claire, the Chosen of Hermos, a Fairy Duelist which fit her personality quite a bit in her own sense. She was a beautiful young girl at the age of 16 herself, and Michael's girlfriend with long, black hair and glasses on her own face, and as per her boyfriend, also a Slifer Red.

The last hero of course, was Falco Wheeler, a 17 year old boy who much like his own mother, worked with the Harpie monsters his mom handed down to him. He looked almost exactly like his father, except for the deep, deep purple, piercing eyes of his mother. Unlike his friends, he was admitted into Ra Yellow.

However, to say these were the only heroes would be unfair, a large majority of other students helped them in this situation, including a Ancient Gear Duelist known as Chad, the son of Rex Raptor known as Tyra, an Alien Duelist named Wes, the Amazoness Duelist known as Marie, also Falco's girlfriend and numerous others.

Including that, they had Pegasus, the very creator of games and his two protégés, Alison and Jake. They together were a force to be reckoned with.

The evil side however had their own evil team mates to work with…but I'm sure you know who I'm speaking of. To those who don't, go read my previous fan fiction.

The remains of the Orichalcos tower were a mess, and not even the massive Orichalcos stone that stood near the front remained anymore. All traces of the Orichalcos had been destroyed completely.

Except for the single one in the middle of the remains of the tower, a single hand in the air holding it, Blake's hand clutched the Orichalcos in his hand. What he had worked for. What he gave up everything for…and now he was dead.

However, something far worse than the Orichalcos would arise that day…

A darkened portal appeared off to the side, and a tall figure stepped out, looking about in shock, awe and confusion.

He looked down at his tan hand, and then clenched it a bit. He inhaled deeply, breathing in the fresh air he had been neglected in such a long time, and a sickeningly evil grin crossed his demented features.

The monster took several strides forward, easily avoiding the large pieces of stone that crumbled to his touch, and stood in front of the erect hand that stood from the ruins, and looked stonily at the card it gripped in its hand.

Leaning down, it pried the card from it's grasp, and stared at it.

"Ah…The Seal of Orichalcos." He chuckled darkly to himself; his voice was a mix between that of a demons, and a growl. "I've heard much of this card…much indeed…"

His eyes flared with a dangerous light, and the last remaining card vanished from his view. The Orichalcos now truly was destroyed…

"It's such a shame it's so useless." He cackled loudly, looking up at the sky above him, and cracked a wide grin, his eyes wide and frightening. "Now that I'm free…"

"The world shall feel my wrath…"

He looked down at his right hand, an annoyed look on his hand. "I may not have my weapon as I did before…

"But with the power of the Shadows, I'm stronger than ever before!"

He grinned evilly, and slowly became transparent. Soon, the man was nothing more than a black, floating shadow with blood red eyes. A loud cackling laugh came from the shadow, and it sped off without a hitch…

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A pair of Lavender eyes opened up in shock, and he gripped his head, moaning softly.

"What…what was that?" He asked himself softly. "That's bad…that's very bad…"

He clenched his eyes together, a hand sliding into his spiky hair.

"He can't be back…He can't be…"

And the man found himself repeating himself for the next several minutes…

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"And here we are students!" Shouted the Chancellors voice over the intercom system. "The biggest graduation duel of the year!"

The arena erupted in cheers and applause, especially from the students who WERE Graduating. Including our heroes!

"Well…" Claire said softly to Falco, who looked better for the occasion. "I guess this is really it huh?" She grinned.

"Oh yeah." Falco grinned. "We're finally graduating…"

"Never thought we'd get out this soon." She said softly. "Feels like we just got here…"

"There are a lot of reasons Graduation gets a bit closer." Falco said as he leaned over the railing to the dueling arena the duel was going to happen. "Something about not wanting to put the students at risk…"

"Students at risk?" She asked, looking over at him.

"Something about evil, demonic entities possessing students…happened to Jaden ya know."

"I heard stories about that…" Mumbled Claire.

"Yeah, that's why they tend to pack it hard into the rest of the year. The school years are always shorting, but massively tougher."

"It's showed." She giggled. "So, is he almost ready?"

"Yep." Falco said softly. "Bound to be a good fight."

"I'll say." Claire giggled.

"And the duelists are ready!" Shouted the Chancellor. "First of all, the Graduation duel winner, the boy with the highest scores…Blake Whitworth!"

The crowd cheered as the Blake Whitworth, the spiky, blonde haired muscular teenager who defeated the champion of Germany several months ago walked out, sporting his Duel Disk and waved to the crowd.

"And his opponent, one of Slifer's many successful Slifer Students, introducing Michael!"

A lot more cheers, none louder than Claire's and Falcos, and the hero of the story walked out. His brown hair hung in front of his eyes as he waved to his friends, and turned to Blake.

"Okay you two." Said the Chancellor, looking from one duelist to the other. "I want a good, clean fight, no cheating, no nothing from either of you!

However, this is Duel Academy's big graduation duel, so make it one to remember!"

As if to answer him, both of them lifted their Duel Disk, and they snapped into place.

"Excellent!" He shouted. "Let the games….BEGIN!" He shouted and jumped off the stage.

"LET'S DUEL!" Michael and Blake shouted to the other, drawing their opening five card hand.

**(Michael: 8,000) ------- (Blake: 8,000)**

"Heh, I'll go first." Blake said, looking down at his deck.

"By all means my friend." Michael grinned, crossing his arms. While he waited, he looked over his shoulder to the chocolate brown eyes of his girlfriend. Flashing her a quick wink, she blushed a bit and went back to the duel at hand.

"Then I'll draw!" Blake shouted as he snatched the top card off of his deck and looked at it. "Here we go…I summon Blade Knight in Attack Mode!"

In front of him, with a valiant cry, a warrior in light blue armor appeared, hefting up a sword that seemed to be made of pure crystal (1,600/1,000)

"Then." Blake said as he slid a single facedown card behind his monster. "I set one card facedown, and turn my turn over to you."

"Good!" Michael shouted as he drew his card quickly and glanced at it. He added it to his hand and put two cards facedown in front of him. "Now, to follow those up, I summon a monster in defense mode!"

In front of him a horizontal card appeared in front of the two vertical cards.

"Then I'll take my turn! Draw!"

He did so, and looked at his cards.

"Oh yeah…this is gonna sting for you! I summon Queen's Knight in Attack mode!"

Slipping the card into his disk, a beautiful young woman appeared, with waist length blonde hair and wearing purple and red armor around her figure. She had a shield in front of her which held the poker card symbols, clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades, and held a long sword in her hand. She cast a dark look to Michael (1,500/1,600).

"Now." Blake said as he took a second card from his hand. "I play Double Summon! With this, I can now Normal Summon again this turn, and I think King's Knight would do nicely, don't you think?"

"Yeah, IF I was gonna let you!" Michael shouted. "Go facedown, Ojama Trio!"

His facedown flipped up, and in three flashes of light on Blake's side of the field, a short, yellow monster with long eyestalks, one short, black and had sharp teeth, and finally a short green imp with one large eye and a gangly tongue appeared, all crouching in defense mode (0/1,000 X 3).

"Oh, look at the new boss guys!" The Ojama Yellow token said, looking up at Blake.

"Hm, I've seen better…" The green one dismissed, waving his hand a bit.

"Yeah, new boss, better…" The black one said, his eyes stuck on the Queen's Knight, despite the fact she was giving him a look that said she was all ready disgusted by it. "Hey baby…what's your name?"

As an answer, her foot slammed down on his large cranium, knocking him into the ground and making his eyes become swirls.

"Oh…never mind…" He groaned.

"…Yeah." Blake said, blinking. "You got some weird cards dude…you know that?"

"Yeah I know, but I'm sure you know this combo. I play Triggered Summon in response to that!"

His final facedown card flipped up.

"And I'm sure you know what that means, now I'm allowed to Special Summon a Level Four or Lower Monster from my hand, so how about I summon my own ringer, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 4!"

In a burst of fire in front of him, Michael's signature monster appeared with a bright flash of light. Standing human sized with metal plating over its hide, and with the appearance of a great Eagle, it cawed out a little and spread it's wings (1,600/1,000).

"Okay…" Blake said. "I…Didn't expect that to happen." He looked down at his remaining hand and grimaced. "I guess I end my turn…"

Michael placed the top card of his deck into his hand.

"Horus!" he shouted, pointing to his favorite monster. "Attack his Queen's Knight with Black Flare Burst!"

"Hold it right there!" Blake shouted. "I don't think you're gonna get a free shot at my monster, I activate Ready for Intercepting, which switches my Monster into defense mode and meaning she survives this battle!"

The Queen's Knight was quickly replaced with a facedown defense Monster, and just as the attack would have roasted her the Queen's Knight held her shield up, blocking the attack.

"And since their Attack is equal, nothing happens…" Michael muttered. "I guess I end my turn…"

Blake drew his card and he grinned at it.

"Here we go!" He said happily. "I sacrifice my Queen's Knight for Freed, The Matchless General!"

The Queen's Knight vanished and in her place was a new warrior, one with heavily battle scarred armor and a face that showed much wisdom in his old age. He held up a sword that was as scarred as his armor (2,300/1,600).

"Attack Horus with Blade of the Battle Scarred!"

Freed roared a bit and leapt forward, swinging his sword. Horus let out a squawk of horror as he was cleaved in half, and exploded into pixels.

**(Michael: 7,300) ------- (Blake: 8,000)**

"Oh man…" Claire said. "Michael just lost Horus…that could cost him…"

"I think I know what that facedown of his is." Falco said. "We'll see…"

"Blade Knight, Attack his defense monster!"

The Blade Knight dashed forward and slammed his sword into the defense card the LV Duelist had. A rust-red dragon with a clay mask appeared on his side of the field, and it screamed as it exploded.

"Thanks!" Michael said with a grin. "Now with that, I'm allowed to Special Summon a Dragon Type Monster from my deck and summon it right to the field, like…my Armed Dragon LV 3!"

In front of him a small creature appeared, at first glance it seemed to be a Baby Dragon, but with a closer look it was covered in spiky armor, and seemed rather cute (1,200/900).

"Heh, and to think I was scared." Blake chuckled. "I guess I just end my turn."

"Then I go!" Michael shouted. "And now the real fun starts, I first sacrifice my LV 3 Dragon for his LV 5 Form!"

The petite dragon was enveloped in a white light, and slowly his form began to shift, shape and form into a new dragon, now twice the size of Michael, with gunmetal grey armor and rust red skin (2,400/1,700).

"Oh boy…" Blake gulped. He took a quick step backward.

"Okay Armed Dragon!" Michael commanded. "Attack his Freed and prove he's got a match out there!"

The Dragon's arms began to spin around rapidly like a pinwheel. Roaring, he leapt forward, watching Freed gasp in pain and exploded.

**(Michael: 7,300) ------- (Blake: 7,900)**

"Then with that, I end my turn. And that means I get this big guy!"

The Dragon was once again enshrouded in light, and in numerous small bursts of light, the Dragon had grown to massive sizes, blades sticking out all over it's armor, and it's neck had grown out too (2,800/1,000).

"Okay…that's a problem." Blake said outloud, and drew his card. "Gah…nothing of any use…I have to switch Blade Knight into defense Mode, and end my turn."

Blade Knight kneeled down, holding his shield in front of him.

"Then watch out!" Michael shouted, and drew his card.

"Oh yeah! I enact my Dragon's Special Ability! By discarding a monster in my hand, like Dark Lucius LV 6 here…"

He held the card up.

"And now every monster on your side of the field with equal or less Attack than the discarded monster is now destroyed! Go my Dragon, Serrated Sonic Disks!"

The Armed Dragon roared very loudly and adjusted so it was now standing atop it's hind legs. The bladed disks on it's torso began to spin rapidly…

And just as that did it, four blades shot out, striking Blake's monsters. They all screamed and exploded, along with the respective disk that hit them.

"And don't forget." Michael said. "Since your three Tokens were destroyed, you lose 900 Life Points now!"

Three large bursts appeared on Blake's chest, and he grunted a little.

"Now Armed Dragon! Attack him directly with Dragon Talon Terror!"

The Dragon roared as he reared up, and clutching one claw into a tight fist, he thrusted it forward…

Blake screamed as the attack swept through him, and he fell to his knees.

**(Michael: 7,300) ------- (Blake: 4,200)**

"Hey…" Michael asked as he saw how Blake seemed injured. "Man…you okay?"

Much to his surprise, Blake was laughing as he rose.

"You kidding? Heh, I once took a direct attack for over 8,000 Points of damage, and was STILL Standing!"

"Dude, what is WRONG With this guy?" Falco whispered, making Claire giggle a bit.

"Well…if you're sure…" Michael said. "Then I just end my turn…"

"Then here I go!" Blake shouted. "Okay, for my turn, I now use Reinforcements of the Army! I take my deck, search for any Level Four or Lower Warrior Monster I have, and add it to my hand."

He pulled his deck out, and searched around for a little bit. Eventually, he pulled the cards and added it to his hand.

"Now I summon it! Freed, the Brave Wanderer!"

In front of him, what appeared to be a teenage version of Freed the Matchless General appeared, and swung his sword threateningly (1,700/1,200).

"Now, I'm sure you know HIS effect?" Blake asked with a smug grin.

"Yeah…" Michael commented. "You have to remove two Light Monsters from your graveyard from play, and one monster with a stronger score than him is destroyed."

"Correct!" Blake laughed as two cards slid out of his graveyard. "So I'll remove my Queen's Knight and Blade Knight from my graveyard and destroy that giant eyesore!"

Freed's sword began to glow, and it swung it. A burning white cut shot from it, and struck the Armed Dragon in the neck. With one final roar, it exploded.

"Now Freed, attack him directly, with Blade of the Wanderer!"

"THIS IS gonna sting…" Michael said, holding his arm up.

It did little to no good. The sword slammed into Michael's forearm and he grunted a bit in pain. As Freed jumped back to his side, Michael hissed and rubbed his arm.

**(Michael: 5,600) ------- (Blake: 4,200)**

Michael groaned a bit. "My move yet?" He asked Blake.

After taking a quick look at his hand, he nodded.

"Good." Michael said as he drew his card. "Here we go. I play the spell card Lighten the Load."

The card appeared on the field.

"This is a fun card, and a new one at that. See, I can now take a Level seven or higher monster from my hand…" he held up his hand, to show an Allure Queen LV 7. "Shuffle it back to my deck, and then draw another card."

He shuffled the card into his deck and did so.

"That's what I'm talking about." He smiled a bit. "Now I play Pot of Avarice! I think I know who I want back in my deck."

He took his Three Armed Dragon Evolutionary stages of his Armed Dragons, his Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 4 and his Dark Lucius LV 6. He took the five designated cards, added them to his deck, shuffled and drew his cards.

He looked at them as he considered. "Hm, it's good enough." He said to himself. "I set one card facedown and set one monster facedown!"

The cards appeared in front of him.

"That ends my turn!"

"Then I go!" Blake shouted and looked at his hand. "Here we go, I'm gonna summon a card I was gonna use a long time ago, go! King's Knight, in Attack mode!"

Another eruption of light and sparkles rose from the ground and another warrior, this one that looked like the Queen's Knights brother, with a thick beard around his face and orange armor, carrying a large shield and a sword (1,600/1,400).

"King's Knight, Attack his defense card!"

The Knight charged forward, roaring and slammed his sword into the card Michael had set. It was a bit unexpected, a large Green mantis appeared on the card and exploded.

"A Flying Kamakire?" Blake asked in surprise.

"Yep! A rather useful card in my deck, a bit more useful than the Masked Dragon. This card can grab two Monsters from my deck, rather than one, but for now I'll follow up with another Flying Kamakire!"

With a loud buzz, another four armed, four winged bug eyes creature appeared in front of him, buzzing dangerously (1,400/900).

"If you want to lose Life Points that badly, be my guest! Freed, carve up his bug!"

Freed jumped into the air and as he landed, slammed his sword into the bug. It screeched before it exploded into bug guts and pixels.

**(Michael: 5,300) ------- (Blake: 4,200)**

"Thanks!" Michael groaned a little. "300 Life Points is a small price to pay to summon another guy from my deck! Come on out, Ultimate Insect LV 3!"

A large creature burst from the ground, it was a seven foot tall multicolored, multi-legged, centipede appeared in front of him, clicking his mandibles angrily at Blake (1,400/900).

"Please, that bug is no stronger than those bugs you used first…" Blake sneered. "I end my turn…"

"You should get the theme of my deck by now…" Michael said, drawing his card. "Little things get big! I sacrifice my Insect for his LV 5 form!"

The Centipede was wrapped around in a thick cocoon, which began to shake. Suddenly, the said cocoon erupted, and in its place stood a two story large insect creature, more spider than anything. Six razor sharp blades were used as its legs, and its entire body seemed coated in blades (2,300/900).

"Okay…that could be a lot worse…" Blake blinked.

"Trust me, it just did." Michael said. "Because since I summoned him through the Ultimate Insect LV 3's effect, all of your Monsters lose 500 Attack Points!"

The giant carapace of the Spider began to shake and rattle, releasing spores into the air that latched onto Blake's Warriors. They didn't move, but did cringe as the spores were sucked into their sister. They each fell 500 Attack points, to 1,100 and 1,200.

"Now, attack Freed!" Michael commanded.

The Insect screeched and rushed forward, lifting up it's front most leg and swiped the air with it. It sliced into Freed, making the Warrior scream and explode into pixels.

**(Michael: 5,300) ------- (Blake: 3,100)**

"Blake's barely hanging on folks!" The Headmaster said. "Can he keep this up?"

"I think I can." Blake said, drawing his card. "My turn will now consist of switching my King's Knight to defense Mode, and setting one monster in defense mode. That's gonna end my turn!" He shouted.

His Knight kneeled down, and another card appeared beside him.

"Then I draw!" Michael shouted, drawing his card. Before he looked at it, he shouted, "I now sacrifice my Ultimate Insect LV 5 for the Ultimate Insect LV 7!"

The Carapace of the giant spider began to crack down the middle, and eventually crack all the way in half, revealing the newest beast.

It looked like a giant wasp or a moth perhaps, with a large wingspan of over ten feet, and spines around its wings edges, and a three-pronged mandible (2,600/1,200).

"What's better with this guy is he not only deducts your monsters Attack by 700, but also your monsters Defense!"

The King's Knight went into a violent coughing fit as spores from the wings of the gargantuan insect attached to his skin, and he had to lean on his arm to keep from falling over (1,600/1,400) --- (900/700).

"Now my insect, attack his King's Knight with Pollen Windstorm!"

The Insect screeched loudly. Its wings began to beat with enough strength to match that of a Heavy Storm spell, and finally the King's Knight exploded into pixels.

"Now, I set one more monster in Defense mode…"

He slid a card into his Duel Disk, and a defense monster appeared beside the insect.

"That, my good friend, shall end my turn." Michael grinned a little.

"Bout time." Blake said, drawing his card quickly. He stared at it, then showed it to be Pot of Greed.

He discarded the card, and drew two more cards. His eyes opened wide as he saw what they were.

"I flip up my facedown first…Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!"

The facedown flipped up, and on it the Elfin Warrior wearing green armor appears in front of him, then slumped a little as the spores caught up with him (1,400/1,200) --- (700/500).

"Like that's going to do anything? You should have kept him in Defense Mode; he would have been safe from my Insect!" Michael shouted.

"I know," Said Blake, "but I plan to squash this bug this turn, I summon Gearfried, the Iron Knight in Attack Mode!"

With a battle cry, the warrior wearing a thick coating of armor appeared in front of him, his blade arms shining as he glared angrily at Michael (1,800/1,600) --- (1,100/900).

"That's still not gonna do anything…" Michael said, then blinked and took a quick step backwards. "Unless…"

"Unless I do this, Release Restraint!" Blake shouted, holding up the other card that he had drawn.

Gearfried's armor began to crack…

"Now with this card, I sacrifice one Gearfried the Iron Knights on my side of the field, and am then allowed to summon the man behind the armor, Gearfried the Swordmaster!"

The Armor exploded into fragments around him, and in the Armored Monster was now a very muscular barbarian with long black hair, and seemed to be pulsing with energy (2,600/2,100) --- (1,900/1,400).

"Okay, now we've reached a problem." Michael gulped.

"It all comes down to this everyone!" The Chancellor shouted. "Should Blake have an Equip Spell card in his hand, Michael'll be in deep trouble!"

"And I do!" Blake grinned evilly. "I equip my Warrior with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade!"

The Sword Gearfried had been carrying began to thin and glow with a dark light until it became a glowing purple sword, pulsing with energy (1,900/1,400) --- (2,700/1,400).

"And when I give my guy an equip card, he automatically destroys one monster you control!"

Gearfried roared and swung his sword, causing a slice of energy to release from the sword and strike the Bug. It burst into flames, screeched and exploded into pixels.

Gearfried and The Obnoxious Celtic Guardian stood up straighter, now no longer burdened by the Insects spores.

"Gearfried…" Commanded Blake, "Attack his defense card!"

Gearfried roared and leapt into the air, holding the sword above his sword and sliced the facedown into several pieces. A Sangan appeared on the card, screamed in pain and exploded.

A card jutted out of Michael's deck and he took it without another word.

Before he had a chance to ask if he was going to do anything else, the Celtic Guardian leapt into the air and drove his sword deep into Michael's chest. He screamed and fell on his backside.

"MICHAEL!" Claire shouted, looking over the side of the railing.

**(Michael: 3,900) ------- (Blake: 3,100)**

"Ow…" Michael groaned, holding his chest. "Man…that could have hurt a lot worse…"

"You best hope that something you got something good with that Sangan." Blake chuckled. "If not, Gearfried will slice it apart like butter."

_Doesn't matter._ Blake thought to himself. _Even if he sets it in defense, I have Divine Sword-Phoenix Blade in my hand. 300 Attack points isn't a whole lot, but it's enough to wipe out his defense, and clear me away for his Life Points…_

Michael drew his card, and he grinned a little. "Oh yeah! This is JUST what I needed! I summon the gal I got from Sangan Silent Magician LV 4!"

In a small flurry of lights, the small child wizard appeared in front of him, glaring at Blake (1,000/1,000).

Blake had a good idea what was about to happen…

"Now, I play my good old, Level Up! I level her up for her big sister!"

In an explosion of light, the Spellcaster had shot up six feet, and was now a full grown woman with long, silvery hair and a staff in her hand (3,500/1,000).

"Now, Attack Gearfried!" He shouted, pointing a hand to the barbarian.

The Magician aimed her staff forward and a beam of pure light shot out, striking Gearfried in the chest. He howled in pain and exploded into pixels.

**(Michael: 3,900) ------- (Blake: 3,000)**

"Now then." He grinned a little. "I will end my turn."

Blake drew his card. "Here we go." He said, sliding a card into the disk. "I play Card of Demise, letting me draw until I have a hand of five."

He drew his five cards, and looked them over. An evil grin crossed his face.

"Now, I play Burial From a Different Dimension. This lets me take any three cards I want that have been removed from play, and put them back into my Graveyard. I'll only do so with two cards though."

His graveyard glowed, and Queen's Knight and Blade Knight slide back into his Graveyard. He took another of his newly drawn cards.

"Now I play Silent Doom. This let's me Special Summon a Normal Monster from my grave into Defense Mode, and I think Queen's Knight would do well, wouldn't you say?"

Queen's Knight appeared in a small flurry of lights, shielding herself in Defense Mode.

"Then, I play Premature Burial, and bring back my King's Knight, and since I summoned him with Queen's Knight on the field, I can Special Summon Jack's Knight from my deck.

His Life Points dipped 800 Life Points, and the Burly Knight appeared beside his sister, and in another flash their younger brother appeared again beside the two of them (1,900/1,400).

"None of them can beat my Silent Magician LV 8." Michael stated, crossing his arms.

"No, but that's why I'm playing this, Polymerization! Bring it together guys!"

Queen's Knight stood up and with her two brothers leapt into the air, flying into the Polymerization portal above the field, and a figure slammed out.

It was as tall as Silent Magician, and had purple armor but that didn't throw away the fact it was indeed powerful looking creature, with a long sword and large shield, and a look of defiance on his face (3,800/2,500).

"Um…" Michael began. "What…is THAT?"

"Meet the Knight's father! The Arcana Knight Joker!"

"That's bad." Falco mumbled. "That thing is stronger than anything else Michael has, and unless he manages to destroy it, he's lost."

"Not likely." Claire whispered. "Arcana Knight Joker has an effect that if Blake wants to negate a card effect that targets him, he has to discard a card of the same type, and it's negated and destroyed…no wonder it's one of the strongest warrior types in the game."

"Arcana Knight Joker, attack the Silent Magician LV 8 with Royal Slasher!"

The Warrior leapt forward and with one quick slash of his sword, and in that same instant he leapt back. The Magician paused for a second, as if to contemplate what had just happened…and finally, she screamed loudly and exploded in a violent burst of energy.

"To end my turn." Blake said. "I play this Spell card, Fairy of the Spring. With this, I'm allowed to take any Equip Spell from my Graveyard and add it to my hand."

He took the card from his Graveyard, and added it with his other two cards in his hand.

"Then, I set two cards facedown, and that ends my turn."

**(Michael: 3,600) ------- (Blake: 3,000)**

_Gotta do something._ Michael thought, drawing his card. _If he equips that Fusion Sword Murasame Blade to him, I'm screwed; royally! This draw better be a freaking miracle…_

He drew his card, and blinked.

_Hello Miracle…_

"I play…Double Spell! By discarding this Spell card…"

He discarded his Transcendent Wings.

"I can copy any Spell card I want from your Grave, and that Card of Demise is looking mighty good right now…"

Several Candles appeared around him as he drew his five cards, and he grinned evilly.

"I play Level Down! This let's me pick a LV monster in my hand, and Lower it's Level by two. So my Level Six Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6 becomes a Level four card!"

In an explosion of black fire, the large, eagle like dragon appeared with a loud roar, snarling angrily at Blake (2,300/1,600).

"And I'll activate another card, this one to bring out my main guy, my Favorite Monster…Go! Level Up!"

"Hold it right there!" Blake shouted. "I play my facedown, De-Fusion! This splits up my Arcana Knight Joker back into his three children!"

Arcana Knight Joker exploded into a flurry of stars and sparks, and in his place was King's Knight, Queen's Knight and Jack's Knight all curled up in defense. (1,600/1,400) (1,500/1,600) (1,900/1,200)

_I'm not stupid._ He thought to himself. _He wouldn't summon Horus unless he had a plan to power him up somehow, this was a safer choice…and it all comes down to who I draw next time._

"Fine! That still doesn't stop me from summoning Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8!"

The new monster was well over twelve feet tall and had a silvery looking armor around it. It had a pair of claws, and a powerful feel to it (3,000/1,800).

"Now Horus…Attack his Queen's Knight!" he shouted. "Black Blaze Blast!"

Horus shot forth the blast from it's beak, but it came within contact with an invisible barrier.

"Negate Attack is quite a useful card, wouldn't you say?" He asked, grinning again.

"I would know too." Michael growled. "Fine, to end my turn, I equip Horus with Axe of Despair and end my turn."

A massive, purple, glowing axe appeared in Horus' claws, and he glowed brightly. He rose to 4,000 Attack Points.

"I draw." Blake said, drawing his card and grinned as he looked at it. "It's over man."

"How so?" Michael asked.

"This! I offer Queen's Knight…King's Knight…and Jack's Knight…"

The three knights disappeared as their names were called.

"And summon forth….Gilford the Lightning!"

A massive bolt of light erupted onto the field and in it appeared the gigantic warrior. Bulging muscles, and a mask over his face added to the giant sword he hefted up, as it crackled with lightning (2,800/1,400).

"You know what that means?" Blake asked. "All of your monsters are all destroyed now!"

This was true, as Gilford lifted his hand into the air, and clenched a fist. A massive bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, and hit Horus with a blast of energy. Horus roared before dropping the axe and exploded into black, fiery pixels.

"I don't care!" Michael shouted. "Even if you attack I'll have more than enough Life Points! I can still turn this around!"

Blake didn't say anything as he slid a card into his disk, and the Sword Gilford was holding began to morph and bulge until it became that of the equip Blake had played a while ago.

"Unless you…play…Fusion Sword…Murasame Blade…" Michael said lamely.

"Gilford, Attack him directly!"

Gilford roared and leapt into the air, and when he was within distance he slammed his sword into Michael. He screamed loudly and flew backward and skidded against the ground. He groaned softly.

**(Michael: 0) ------- (Blake: 3,000)**

"And the winner!" Shouted the Chancellor, "Blake Whitworth!"

He smiled a little and waved.

"Michael!" Claire shouted as she ran beside her boyfriend. "Are you okay baby?" She asked, kneeling down.

"As I'll ever be." He moaned, holding his chest. "Christ…ow…"

"Hey." Said a voice.

Michael looked up, seeing Blake standing there.

"Good duel man." He said, holding out his hand.

"You too mate." He said, grabbing his hand and pulled himself up. "Good luck with your lives man." He grinned. "I'll be sure to duel and whup you badly."

"Not likely." He grinned, and shook their hands one final time before the place erupted in cheers.

"Let's give it up for the graduating class!" The Chancellor shouted one final time, and the place erupted into louder cheers.

A dark shape floated near the window…

"Interesting…interesting…" He mumbled, stroking his chin and grinned very darkly. "I believe I found some new play things to destroy…"

He turned into a black shadow…

"Let the games begin…"

And with that, it cackled and flew off into the distance.

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**Card of Demise**  
**Type**: Spell  
**Image**: A deck of cards about to be sliced in half by a guillotine.  
**Effect**: Draw five cards from your deck. On the fifth End phase in which you played this card, discard all cards in your hand to the graveyard.

_Note: Card of Demise was first used by Kaiba in the Anime Episode "Clash in the Coliseum" And was used numerous times by him later (The Original effect allows a player to draw UNTIL he has five cards, but for the sake of the duel I used this effect) All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**Level Down!  
Type**: Spell  
**Image**: A pair of stars on a game card getting blasted by two bolts of lightning  
**Effect**: Select one LV Monster in your hand. The selected card has its Level Reduced by two until the end of this turn.

_Note: Level Down! was first used by Chazz in the anime episode "Obelisk White?" All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

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And with that the journey is just beginning. Next time, the quartet gets an invitation to a specific tournament! There, the new journey just begins…find out next time in "Invitation: Time to Duel Again!" Coming soon!


	2. Invitation: Time to Duel again!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh! In any way, shape or form, and I do not intend to make money from this fanfiction.

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Chapter One: Invitation: Time to Duel again!

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"Well…" Falco said as he watched the plane disappear off into the distance. "It looks like we're done."

"Are we though?" Marie asked her boyfriend, looking up at him. "I mean…my dad always used to say that once a door closes, another one opens."

"Until then." Michael said softly. "We should take a break for now. Just…hang out like regular friends do…and if another adventure happens to appear, we take it without further question."

"Amen to that man." Falco grinned, bumping his fist with his friends.

"Until then." Claire said, not looking up from her position in Michaels arms. "We should go home…ya know, tell our parents how our school year went!"

"Oh yeah, I can see it now." Michael said with a soft grin. "Hey mom, I had a great year! Made best friends with a Wheeler, got the girl of my dreams, oh! And I killed dad because he was going to bring back an ancient evil and completely demolish the world with it, when's dinner going to be done?"

Claire giggled and slapped him on the arm. "You know what I mean." She said.

"Yeah, I know." Michael said with a cocky grin.

"Okay." Falco said. "Dad's off on a business trip…but Mom's still home! Maybe ya'll would like to meet her later?"

"The Legendary Mai Wheeler?" Marie gasped. "We would be honored."

"Oh whatever." He said, rolling his eyes but grinned proudly. "Okay…I'll see you all later!"

"Bye babe." She said, kissing him softly…then slapped him. "Keep your hands OFF my backside!"

"Awww! Not even now!?"

"NO!"

Michael and Claire both laughed as they kissed each other softly for a few moments. "We'll come back to this spot in an hour, how's that sound?"

"Sounds good." She said, nodding softly and leaning her forehead on his.

"Well." Falco said, clearing his throat, "We'll see you two in an hour."

"Sounds good." Both Michael and Claire said at the same time.

"Later guys!" Marie said, walking off and waving.

With that, the quartet split apart.

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"Mom?" Falco called out as he opened the door. "Mom? You home?"

"Falco!" Said a husky, authoritative voice from the kitchen.

A figure stepped from the door, currently drying her hands on a dishrag. Standing there, in her still powerful authority, was Mai Valentine-Wheeler. Her blonde hair was still as full as ever, and if anything her eyes were more vibrant than ever, and still let out a strong aura.

Mai walked over to her son and ruffled up his blonde hair. "How's it going kid?"

"Yeah, I missed you too mom." Falco bantered back, grinning a little cheekily.

She gave his cheek a hard pinch, one that made him yelp in pain. "Don't get snippy with your mother." She snarled a little, grinning a little. "But it is good to have ya home kid."

"Gee," Falco said, rubbing his pinched cheek, "Thanks." He laughed. "Say…dad still out?"

Mai's smile turned rather sad. "Yeah…he got accepted into another tournament with Yugi."

"Of course…" Falco sighed.

"I know it's hard Falco." Mai said, scowling. "But you're dad's popular…"

"Yeah I know…" He said, bowing his head. "But I guess it comes with the job, him being one of the best duelists out there anyway." He smirked proudly at the last statement.

"That a boy." Mai said, clapping her son the back, making him lurch forward. "By the way…how'd your school year go?"

Falco's smile turned sad, but proud at the same time. "You may wanna sit down mom…cause MAN do I have a story for you."

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The first thing Marie got when she returned home was the most evil stare she received.

Not from an enemy…

But her brother…

Her younger brother, Jason, was one of the helpers of the Orichalcos, and when it vanished from the face of the earth, his soul was replaced back into his body, but not before Marie learned how he hated her…

"You…" He hissed, and just about slammed the door in her face just before Marie's mother, a tall, dark skinned woman.

"Hi Honey!" She squealed, hugging her daughter tightly. "How was it? Did you make any new friends? Did you win a lot? Did you use your fathers card?"

"Mom, mom! Calm down, calm down!" Marie laughed a little, pushing her mother off of her. "Calm down, yes I made new friends, I won a few times and I used him as much as I could."

"Oh I knew you would." She said, ruffling her daughters hair quickly. "Come in, come in, we have so much time to catch up with!"

Marie smiled and nodded, but not before she stumbled onto the ground.

Jason glared down at her from above. "Welcome home sis…" He growled, and walked off.

Marie sat up a little, brushed the lint off of his legs and walked into the kitchen. This was gonna be a long way to go…

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"Mom! Dad! Kriste!" Claire shouted as she entered her abode again. "I'm home!"

She squealed as she was suddenly pounced on by a rather homely looking cat, who purred very loudly and nuzzled up against her stomach, it's eyes closed blissfully.

"Heh," Claire giggled, "I missed you too Leo." She said, scratching the cat between the ears.

"He better not be the only one." Said a voice from behind, chuckling. Claire turned around and was greeted by the site of her older sister, Kriste.

"Kriste!" She laughed, jumping up and hugging her older sister tightly across the mid-section.

"Hey sis." She laughed, hugging her tightly back. "Glad to have ya back. Have a good time at Duel Academy?"

"It…could have been better…" He mumbled. "But I got a lot of new friends, and a boyfriend to boot!"

"A boyfriend?!" Shouted a voice that made the siblings jump, and Claire's mom seemed to pop up out of no where. "My little Claire has a boyfriend?!"

"Um…Yeah mom." She said, nodding slowly.

"That's my little sister! All grown up and getting the hunks." She giggled, ruffling up her sister's hair.

"Oh come on guys…" Claire said, blushing a furious red in her face.

"So, what's he like? What's his name? Is he good looking? Is he a good duelist? Is he a good kisser?" Kriste grinned, nudging her.

"Kriste!" Claire hissed, blushing even more if even possible.

"Come on, come on." Said a voice from the doorway.

Claire's father had walked in, smiling down at Claire.

"Hey honey."

"Dad!" Claire shouted, running and hugging her father.

"You're home sooner than I expected." He said, hugging his daughter.

"Long story." She said. "But enough about that, come on, we have some catching up to do."

And with that, the family walked through the doorway, into the living room for some family time.

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"It's…good to see you too mom…' Michael grunted. "But…I really…need…air."

"But I haven't seen you in the longest time!' Michael's mother said, hugging her son tighter to her. "I've just missed you!"

"I've missed you too mom…" Michael gasped. "I kinda miss breathing too…"

"Oh…sorry honey." His mother giggled, letting go. "Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"

"Hm…now that you mention it." Michael said thoughtfully, then smiled. "I AM kinda hungry…"

"I'll whip something up then!" She said, jumped up and walked into the kitchen.

"Ahh...you sure know how to cook mom." Michael said, biting into the hamburger his mother had placed before him.

"I try." She smiled. "I remember back when I used to cook for your father too…"

Michael bit into his meal so hard he thought he heard his teeth crack when they hit each other.

"Hm?" His mother asked, looking up. "Something wrong dear? You look…troubled."

"No mom…" he sighed. "I'm fine…I'm just…not hungry anymore."

"Oh…well…would you like to lie down? Maybe after a good rest you'll feel a little better?"

"Maybe…" He said as gave his mom a quick kiss on the cheek. "Night mom."

"Night sweetie." She said.

Michael sighed as he left the room. He couldn't tell her about what had happened…

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"And tell me Yugi." A very cocky, arrogant voice asked, followed by a low chuckle. "Why should I, of all people, and take your suggestion for MY tournament?"

"Because Kaiba," Said the King of Games, crossing his arms and glaring sternly at the Head of Kaiba Corp. "These are not just any ordinary duelists."

"Ha, Ha, ha!" Kaiba laughed mockingly at the pointy haired teenager. "If I had a nickel for every time I heard that line." He turned back to his computer. "Give me one single good reason I should put these kids into MY Tournament, if you have none, then get out of my sights."

"They defeated the Seal of Orichalcos."

That made Kaiba freeze in his chair. Slowly, almost painfully, Kaiba turned.

"What…was that?"

"You heard me." Yugi said, crossing his arms. "These kids defeated the Seal of Orichalcos. A feat that you and I barely did, and these children defeated them…

"…WITH The Help of Timaeus, Critias and Hermos."

There was a long, agonizing pause.

"You know I don't like doing this Yugi…" Kaiba said, glaring at his rival.

"I know you don't Kaiba…but for the sake of a good tournament…you'll do it."

Kaiba clenched a fist, but quickly released it, turning back to his computer with a small twitch of his left eye.

"What were their names again…?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning seemed to creep along the sky with an almost teasing slither…

Falco moaned and covered his head with his pillow. "Don't wanna get up…sleep good…light bad…it burns…"

"Oh honestly." Mai said, grabbing onto his blankets and ripping them off.

"MOM!" Falco screamed, curling up. "That's so SICK!"

"Oh be quiet!" Mai sneered. "Honestly, you're just like your father…and put some clothes on! You know how I feel about you sleeping in your boxers!"

"Oh calm down mom…" Falco grumbled, standing up finally. "It's not like anyone's up at this time of day…"

"Oh! Actually, there are." Mai said as she opened the door. "I love your friends by the way, sweetest kids I've seen and tough to boot! They're here."

And with that, Michael, Claire and Marie were all standing at the door, and saw Falco in his boxers.

Claire covered her eyes and giggled, blushing like mad, Michael looked off to the side, shuddering and looking about ready to spew, and yet Marie just stood there staring.

"MOM!" Falco screamed in Horror as he dived back into his room.

Minutes later, Falco walked out, wearing a short sleeve black shirt, black jeans and a pair of black boots.

"Dude…" Michael groaned as he sat on the couch. "That was a little bit more of you that I needed to see….actually, make that a lot more of you that I needed to see…hell that was just more than what I needed to see!" He shuddered again.

"Oh shut up." Falco hissed as he sat down with his friends.

"Nice bod." Marie giggled as she took a sip out of the coffee Mai had handed her, and it made Falco go bright yet.

"You kids." Mai laughed little. "Go easy on him, he's just a goof like his old man."

"Rather be a goof than a hag." Falco muttered behind his mug, but yelped as his mother grabbed his hair.

"What was that?" She hissed, staring into his deep purple eyes that seemed to be piercing his soul.

"N-Nothing ma'am!" Falco quipped, gulping.

"That's what I thought." She smirked and walked out of the room, going to fetch the mail.

"Dude, your mom's dangerous, even without her deck." Michael commented.

"Don't remind me…"

"Bills…bills…bills…" Mai muttered, looking through her stack of mail and throwing the said bills over her shoulder. "Bills…bills…Hey…Falco! You got something addressed to you!"

Falco bounced up onto his feet and snatched it, ripped it open and began to read slowly. When he finished, his eyes widened.

"Whoa! No way!" He exclaimed, jumping up.

"What is it?" Michael asked, standing up too.

"**Dear Mr. Falco Wheeler,**

**You are cordially invited to attend the Duel Monster Grand Prix, hosted by Seto Kaiba.**

**Below are the times and place you are to arrive in order to attend the Tournament.**

**We congratulate you for being selected out of the other sixteen contestants of the world, and we hope you make it far.**

**Signed,**

**Seto Kaiba.**"

"Whoa…" Michael said. "Dude, you get to go to the Grand Prix! That's so awesome!"

"That's awesome baby! Congratulations, I knew you would make it big!" Marie said, cheeringly.

"Awww…" Mai sniffed a little. "My little boy's all grown up and…attending tournaments, just like his dad!" She laughed and cried a bit at the same time, hugging him tightly. "I just hope you have more IQ points than your father!"

"Okay mom, seriously," Falco grunted. "That's enough shots at Dad for today…"

"I guess." She sighed. "But it's so easy when he's not around!"

"Details…"

"Hm…well…I guess when you go Pro on us, you'll forget all about us…" Claire sniffed a little.

"Yeah, pretty much!" he grinned, then grunted as he got a foot in the chest.

"Jerk."

"Who knows?" Falco grunted, grimacing as he clutched his chest. "You guys could have gotten invitations too…"

"I doubt it.' Claire scowled. "I mean…me, Michael and Marie don't exactly have world famous dad's…"

"Just because Joey Wheeler is my father doesn't mean anything." Falco commented, glaring at them. "You should go check; it says the Tournaments…tomorrow." He said, looking at the time and date.

The trio sighed.

"Fine, if it pleases you." Marie said, and with that, the four of them walked out slowly.

"Those kids…" Mai laughed lightly. 'They're gonna be great…I can see it happening."

And with that, she turned and decided to work around the house a little bit, maybe fix up a deck or two…

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"Mom?" Michael called out as he slowly entered his home, Claire, Marie and Falco in tow. "Mom? You here?"

"I'm in the Kitchen dear." She called out.

"Mom? Did I get anything in the mail?"

"I haven't checked yet dear, check if you want."

Michael walked calmly in the kitchen, after scolding them to take their shoes off, he said something about his mother wanting to keep a clean house and not wanting to over work her and grabbed the small stack of mail.

"Bills, bills, Magazine, Bills for Magazine…Hey…" He said, pulling out a letter that looked exactly like Falco's. His eyes widened as he ripped it open and read it with as much excitement as his friend. "I'm in! I'm in the tournament!"

"That's awesome, baby!" Claire said, hugging him tightly around the waist.

"Tournament?" His mother, now known as Jill asked, looking up. "What Tournament?"

"The Duel Monster Grand Prix, one of the best Tournaments in the time right now!" he said, looking up. "It's hosted by Seto Kaiba himself, and only a select few duelists actually get to join!"

"Oh…" She said. "So…you're gonna be joining tournaments…and dueling more…then forget all about me!" She wailed, hugging him tightly to her again.

Michael blinked in surprise. "Mom…mom…calm down…it's in Kaibaland! It's right across town! You can come and watch me!"

"Oh…" She said, then seemed to perk up. "Excellent! I'll be there cheering for you all the way baby." She beamed a bit. "And…who are these people?"

"Oh…" Michael said, then smiled. "These are my friends, Falco and Marie, and my girlfriend Claire!"

"Claire?! You're the Claire I keep hearing about?" His mother gasped, then ran over to her.

"Yep!" Claire announced proudly, smiling widely.

"Come on then! You and me have some talking to, to do!" With that, his mother had dragged his girlfriend off, and everyone could only stare.

"Oy…" Michael groaned. "This is gonna be a while…"

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"Jason! You should know better than to read your sisters mail!" Marie's mother, Susan, scolded as she snatched the letter out of her sons hand.

"But…" He said quickly, but she too was reading it.

Her face lit up.

"Oh wow! Jason! You're sister's going to one of the biggest tournaments of the year!"

Jason's left hand twitched, even as the door opened and Marie's hello rang out through the house.

"Did I get a—" She asked, before her mother wrapping her arms around her tightly.

"Oh congratulations honey!" She beamed. "You're going to the Kaiba Grand Prix and…" She looked up, noticing the invites in Michael's and Falco's hands. "So are your friends apparently."

"I am!" Marie shouted. "SWEET! I'm going to the Grand Prix!"

"Sweet!" Falco shouted, pumping a fist into the air.

"Congrats Marie!" Michael shouted, grinning.

"Do you have anything to say to your big sister Jason?" Susan asked, turning back to the younger sibling.

Jason was silent for several seconds, and finally his right hand twitched into a fist.

"Just two…' he growled. "Drop. Dead."

There was dead silence all across the room, and Susan looked horror struck.

"You…What did you…" She whispered.

"You freaking heard me! I can't stand this anymore! I'm so sick of being the second best to you people! I'm nothing more than a pansy, a dope, while she's queen of the freaking house hold!

"The entire time she was gone, you worked me like a slave while you lounged out doing nothing. You CONSTANTLY compare me to her, saying "Why can't you be more like Marie?" And "Marie would never do that!" I'M SO SICK OF IT!

There was a thick and heavy silence as Jason paused for a breath, and even then when he spoke, it cracked, almost as if he were on the verge of breaking down in tears.

"I'm not Marie! I'll NEVER Be Marie! I don't want to be Marie! I don't want to be anything like that BITCH!"

"Jason!" Susan screamed.

"Shut up mom! I'm not going to this freaking tournament just so you can support her and not do anything for me! You NEVER showed up for any of my tournaments! You never showed up for my anything! I don't care if Marie Loses, I don't care if she wins, all I care is that she DROPS DEAD!!!"

And with that final statement, he darted up the stairs to his room, and with shuddering force slammed and locked the door.

There was another long, uneasy silence that was only broken by a small sniffle from Marie…

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"YAY!" Claire cheered as she hopped up and down in her spot, holding out the invite in front of everyone. "I'm going! I'm going! YAY!"

"Congrats!" Falco laughed, pulling his friend into a hug.

"Thanks." Claire beamed, hugging her back before turning to Marie, who had a long look on her face still upset from Jason's snapping. "Oh…Marie…come on…snap out of it."

"I'm trying…but it's so hard…" She sniffed a little, looking down at the floor.

"What's wrong sweety?" Claire's mom asked, as she turned from the corner to Marie.

"Family troubles mom." Claire sighed, hugging Marie gently and rocking back and forth before sighing. "Okay guys…I'm gonna…gonna…Michael?" She asked. Her boyfriend was gone.

As if on cue, the door opened and Michael walked out, Claire's father behind him.

"Michael!" Claire said, hugging her boyfriend tightly, but felt him shaking. "What's wrong baby?"

"Me and Michael just had a…friendly talk in the back." Her father said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Ain't that right?"

"Right." Michael said, nodding quickly.

With that, the father walked off.

"What did he REALLY tell you?"

"If I hurt you in any way shape or form, he will do very violent things to me…"

Claire sweatdropped. "Oh Dad…"

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Kaibaland amusement Park was a very impressive establishment.

It was a theme park, involving almost every kind of Duel monster out there, with attractions of all kinds, games of all shapes and sizes, and people all around could have more than just a good time.

Of course, while most people were conversing with themselves, the quartet had arrived at Kaibaland the next day, wanting to size up the competition.

"Hm…That guy looks rather…intimidating." Michael commented about a duelist off to the side, who seemed to be a younger version of Bandit Keith.

"And I can't wait to see who made that guys clothes." Marie said, looking at the other side to a young boy who seemed to have just gotten off a nature hike.

"Regardless, these guys wouldn't have gotten invitations if they weren't as good as we figure they are. But…I thought these Tournaments had…sixteen participants, and counting us I only see like…twelve…" Falco said, looking about.

"Oh come on sport!" Shouted a goofy voice from behind, one that made Falco's eyes widen. "You think that Kaiba was gonna host and tournament and not invite ME?"

"No…way…" Falco said, but yelped as he was suddenly pulled into a headlock by someone.

"How's it going son?" Joey Wheeler asked as he gave his son a brief noogie. It seemed as though Joey had hit the fountain of youth, even though in his middle ages, he still looked like the handsome teenager who had helped the King of Games through all his journies.

"Dad! You're here? In the same tournament as me?!" Falco exclaimed excitedly. "This is so awesome!"

"Awwww…you're making your old man blush!" Joey grinning, rubbing the back of his head, but it was suddenly interrupted by a panting sound from behind.

"Jeez…Joey…couldn't wait up for me to catch up?!" Shouted a familiar deep, yet at the same time child like voice.

And standing there behind the two Wheelers was the King of Games himself.

Standing at a full five feet, something inches, the spiky, yellow and purple hair with deep violet eyes, and a stern look on his face with a look of pure energy and strength radiated from his body.

Yugi Moto had arrived.

"Whoa…" Claire said. "Yugi Moto…"

"I…Feel as if I'm not worthy enough to look at him…" Marie mumbled a little.

"Hey Yugi!" Joey grinned as too scooped his best friend into his arms, noogying him along with his son. "Bout time you got here, man you're slow!"

"Joey, calm down." Yugi sighed as he pulled away. "Besides, you get so excited about coming to these things you're always like…the first one here."

"That's because I fixed up my deck!" Joey grinned a little. "And I know for a FACT I'm gonna come up on top this year!"

"Heh, the day you win one of my tournaments, Wheeler, is the same day I go bankrupt and close the company…" A smug voice from behind all of them chuckled.

"Oh…Hey Kaiba." Joey snarled, turning about to face him.

Seto Kaiba stood there, wearing his trademark white blazer over his shoulders. His brown eyes dug daggers into the six people in front of him, and with a look of arrogance and superiority, he grinned.

"Hello yourself Wheeler." He chuckled a bit. "Come to one of my tournaments just to get mopped the floor with?"

"You sent me an invitation, and you know it!" Joey shouted, gritting his teeth.

"And my, oh my, am I regretting it." Kaiba laughed, crossing his arms before turning his attention to Yugi. "…Yugi…"

"Kaiba…" Yugi acknowledged.

"You're little streak as King of Games is coming to an end this tournament Yugi." He crossed his arms.

"I think not." Yugi said, narrowing his eyes. "For this Tournament is no different from the others, and I will beat you once more."

"We'll see…" He pushed past the kids, moving up onto the stage. "We'll see…"

With that, Seto walked up onto the stage and whispered something to Roland. He nodded a little, and turned to the participants.

"Welcome, participants and viewers alike, to the fifteenth annual Duel Monsters Grand Prix!"

The cheers erupted about the audience.

"Before we start things off, let's give a hand to our participants. First, all the way from Sacramento, California, The Dark Master himself, Tony Alvarado!"

The boy who looked like the Bandit Keith Wannabe could only smirk and wave.

"From Frankfurt, Kentucky, Jayce Beringa!"

The boy who seemed to be on a twenty four seven nature hike waved, grinning a bit.

"All the way from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Franklin Miraru!"

A boy with fiery red hair and several freckles around his face waved, making his baggy blue shirt wave a little in the wind.

"From our Very own Domino City, four more participants! First, Falco Wheeler!"

Falco gave a small wave, grinning a little bit beside himself.

"Claire Upward!"

Claire gave a small wave too, smiling gently.

"Marie Stronghold!"

Marie, however, was much less bashful than her boyfriend and friend, and began to wave feverously.

"And Michael Wasson!"

Michael was a bit bashful, and as his name was called he gave them all a wave.

"Matthew Jorange!"

"Wait….MATT?!" Falco screamed in shock, and was once more answered with a loud laugh.

"You know about it bird boy!"

And off to the side, and Falco was amazed he missed him before, was a good friend and rival, Matthew Jorange. His long red hair that went past his shoulders, and standing over a full six foot tall with a black sweatshirt, and a pair of baggy black jeans.

Camula's son, he was, and proud of it too. He had adapted his mothers Vampire Deck, and would have made her proud of it too. He too had helped the gang fight the Orichalcos the first time, reluctantly albeit, he eventually became rivals with Falco…and of course, meaning he made a good friend.

"Long time no see man." Matt grinned, grabbing Falco's hand in a tight hand shake. "Hell, last time I saw you I was pummeling you into the ground with Genesis."

"Yeah, and another I was throwing you around with Simorgh." Falco grinned back, and a little spark of electricity went between them.

"Oh boy." His three friends said, sweatdropping. Apparently they had missed a few of the kids names, as Roland continued to drag on.

"From Moscow, Russia, Boris Popov!"

The boy in general was a very muscular boy, standing a few inches taller than Matt and with a thick goatee. He had powerful yet dead eyes, and wore a red shirt with a pair of bleached while trousers, his arms crossed over his chest in a bored manor. He grumbled a bit, sizing up the competition.

"From Cairo, Egypt, Philip Hawkins!"

One of the final boys was very odd looking. There was something in his innocence that made people scoot away from him as quickly as possibly. He had long brown hair that draped around his shoulders, and he seemed to constantly have a downcast look on his face that he went through a bad childhood. His Slightly pale skin shown in the light, and his frail, yet seemingly muscular arms stood out from his brown tank top.

"And for the fab three themselves…give it up for…Joey Wheeler!"

Joey gave a smug smirk and waved at all the fans that had began to cheer him widly.

"Seto Kaiba!"

A deafening roar came from the crowds, and he just gave them all a smirk and a nod.

"And of course…the King of Games himself….YUGI MOTO!"

The roar of the crowd was absolutely deafening as Yugi couldn't help but blush, waving plainly to all the Duelists, and the cheer had not ceased.

"Calm down everyone, calm down!" Roland shouted over the roar, holding his hands up to try and calm the crowd down. When the audience was silenced, he went on. "The first duel will begin in one hour! This will give the contestants to make any last minute preparations to their deck they may need! We'll see you all in an hour!"

With that, he walked away, and the crowd dispersed.

"Well, I'll talk to you later man, good luck." Falco said to Matt, nodding.

"You too." He nodded in return.

And soon enough, all the duelists had gone too, off to fix their deck.

However, had anyone still been around…

They would not have liked the smirk on Philips face…

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With that, the chapter ends! Something's up with Philip…Well, we'll find out more about the duelists next time. Next time, Marie goes against her first opponent in the first round, but…not with her Amazon deck! What new deck will our favorite femme fatale use? Find out next time in "Sub Zero, Let the first round begin!"


	3. Sub Zero, Let the First Round Begin!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh! In any way, shape, or form, nor do I intend to make any sort of money from this story.

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Sub Zero, Let the First Round Begin!

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So many thoughts were going through all the heads of the duelists at this point as they began to alter their deck.

Each of them had been chosen for some reason, all of them with their own skills, and each of them with their own talents. However, the quartet were wondering why they were there in the first place.

They had just graduated from Duel Academy, and there was sure to be more special duelists than THEM. What were they anyway? A Level Duelist, a Sweet, Caring Fairy Duelist, a tough as nails Amazoness Duelist, and a next generation Harpie Duelist of two Pro-Leaguers.

Not exactly Kaiba Grand Prix Materiel.

Marie looked at her deck for a moment, the picture of Freed the Matchless General on the front, and she smiled sadly.

She always said how she missed her father, a casualty of the war. Around the time he had died, a package was sent to her, and this Monster was in it, and the eerie thing is it looked almost exactly like her father…she smiled a bit, sliding a hand over the card. "I miss you dad…' She whispered softly to the card. "But…If I'm gonna go anywhere with this, I need to use…my new deck."

She reached into a deck holder on her hip, and pulled out her second deck, a look of determination.

"Here's hoping it's as good as I made it to be…"

"Let's see…" Claire muttered, looking at a small group of cards in her hand. "I can get rid of this card…" she took out her Absorbing Kid from the Sky, and slid in a new monster. "And this guy'll go in here…" she took out the second copy of her Hysteric Fairy and added in someone else. "And this guy…" she smiled a bit. She was gonna RULE with this card, and slid it in, not bothering to take anything else out.

"Don't know about this guy…" Michael muttered as he slid in the card into his deck. "But it makes a good combo with every other card in my deck, it's bound to make some hurt on some of the people in this tournament!" he took out what appeared to be six cards, and looked between them. He shrugged and looked through his deck, figuring he could have another six and not make any adjustments and slide them in.

"Aren't you going to fix YOUR deck up?" Marie asked Falco, who was merely staring at his deck.

"Heh, you insane?" he grinned. "This deck was pre-made by Mai Wheeler. It's as good as it's gonna get."

From the intercom system, four loud, dings were heard, and so was Roland's Voice.

"The Hour is Up!" he announced, throwing his hands up. "Please approach the stadium, and see who you're going to duel!"

The sixteen duelists slowly approached the stage, an anxious look on all of their faces.

Roland stepped off to the side, and pointed at a large screen television as it rose out of the stage with a dull hum.

"Now with this screen, two people will be selected at Random, and they will duel in the first round!" he pulled out a remote control. "Let's see who the lucky Duelists will be!"

Twin pictures of a shadow appeared in the picture, and slowly they began to change, becoming the duelists they had as a challenge. Eventually, the pictures began to slow down, Marie and…some other girl appeared off to the side.

"And it's decided!" Roland shouted, holding up a hand. "The first duel will be Marie versus Christine!"

"Christine?" asked Marie, turning around to see the girl from the picture.

The girl looked rather odd, the term Grease Monkey seemed to come to her mind. She wore a pair of overalls that had a few grease and oil stains, and her brown hair tied in a tight ponytail behind her head, with a backwards baseball cap. She looked over at Marie and smirked.

"You're going down Princess…" She said with a small smirk.

"There will be, however, a small five minute intermission, everyone get yourselves situated and we'll let the duel commence!"

There was a small pause, then the crowd dispersed again, shrugging and going to grab some food and drinks for the duel ahead.

As Marie had her deck out in front of her, shuffling through the cards she saw Christine walk in front of her.

"Hey." The Grease Monkey said casually.

Marie cocked an eyebrow briefly at her. "…Hey."

"Marie, right? You're the one dating that Wheeler Kid, right?"

"…Yeah…What of it?"

"Well…I was wondering if I could introduce to you…a bet."

"What kind of bet…" She asked, looking about as interested as one could fake it.

"Well…as I'm sure you know, Falco's pretty cute…he's got a good head on his shoulders….he's an amazing duelist, and he's part of the Wheeler Lineage…you basically married into royalty!"

"Yeah, so?" she asked. "I just really like him, I mean."

"Yeah, sure you do," Christine said, rolling her eyes a bit, "But here's my deal…people would kill to get a date with someone like him, so here's the bet: Whoever wins gets to go on a date with him."

Marie stared at her as if she were insane. "What!?" she shouted. "You think I'm gonna put my boyfriend on the line like that?!"

"Why, don't think you have what it takes to beat me?" Christine asked, crossing her arms over her ruined shirt.

"I KNOW I can beat you." Marie seethed. "I just don't want to put my boyfriend on the line like that….he isn't some trophy you can just win and date…"

"Awww, isn't that cute?" She sneered. "You're just made because once I beat you, your boyfriend becomes MINE."

"Keep dreaming bitch." Marie growled. "I'll be sure to destroy you fear EVER Making a bet with me…"

The two could only glare at each other, when suddenly the familiar three dings could be heard from behind them.

"The duel is now starting! Duelists take your positions!"

The two glared for a few more moments, then walked off, the rest of the Duelists following suite to see what would happen.

Christine did however, turn to Falco, winked and blew him a kiss, walking off again.

"Um…" Falco said, blinking a bit in surprise. Why did he have such a bad feeling about this…

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"And the first round Begins!" Roland shouted from the side of the arena, catching everyone's attention. "Marie versus Christine! Let's see how this turns out!"

"You're going down bitch!" Christine shouted. "And you're boyfriends going to be all mine!"

"In your dreams! I'm taking you down, and I'm taking you down HARD."

"Ready…" Roland began. "Set….GO!"

"LET'S DUEL!" Both of the girls screamed, and the scores became set.

**(Marie: 8,000) ------- (Christine: 8,000)**

"I think I'll start things off." Christine said with a cold smirk and drew her card. Looking over her six cards, with the card just drew her in her other hand, she grinned a bit.

"And I'll start things off with summoning…Gyroid in Attack Mode!"

In front of her, in a flurry of sparkles and lights, a machine appeared in front of her, with blue metal skin and a pair of wheels that seemed to act as it's hands. It landed and it's propellers spun slowly, coming to a stop (1,000/1,000).

"Oh boy…" Falco muttered. "Roid monsters…never a good sign…"

"But why would she summon Gyroid in ATTACK mode? I mean…" Michael began. No one would something like that in Attack Mode first. He's a blocker monster…"

"Now then…" Chrstine said, taking another card from her hand. "I activate a Spell card, Quick Attack!"

The Spell appeared behind Gyroid, and he began to glow.

"This allows one of my Level Four or Lower monsters to attack on the first move! Gyroid, fly over there and rough her up a bit!"

Gyroids propellers spun to life, and the robot dashed forward. It slammed a wheel into Marie's gut, and she screamed in pain, holding her stomach in pain.

Christine cackled manically. "How'd that feel bitch?" She grinned. "I set one more card facedown…and end my turn…"

A facedown appeared behind the Gyroid, and her turn ended.

**(Marie: 7,000) ------- (Christine: 8,000)**

_Little does she know, I know ALL about her deck, the Amazons. _Christine thought with an evil smirk on her face._ And I added a few anti warrior cards just for such an occasion…all it is, is a matter of drawing them…_

Marie drew a little more calmly than what the situation called for. She looked from her six new cards and grinned. "Okay! I summon forth this little gal…"

She slapped down a card onto her Duel Disk.

"Hail Cyber!"

In front of her, in a large gust of freezing cold air, a new monster none of them had seen before appeared. She looked to be wearing a skirt and halter top, a visor over both glasses and thick wrist guards, her dress seemingly made from giant icicles (1,300/1,500).

"Huh?" Michael asked, taken back.

"That's not an amazoness!" Claire exclaimed.

_It must be her second deck she was telling me about…_Falco thought to himself, his eyes widening a bit.

"Okay Hail Cyber; teach her what happens when you play Dirty! Attack her Gyroid!"

Hail Cybers hands began to glow a bright blue, and she pointed them at the Gyroid…

"I chain that move with my facedown!" Christine shouted, shooting a hand out. "With Supercharge, because of this, I'm now allowed to draw two cards because you attacked my Roid monster!"

As she drew her two cards and added them to her all ready depleted hand, Hail Cyber was all ready surrounded by razor sharp looking icicles. They all flew forward and slammed into Gyroid, making it wince and attempt to guard itself as it had the spikes dig into it, but stayed alive.

"Yeah, I know, Gyroid stays alive, even after one attack." She took another card from her hand and slid it into her disk. "So I set one card facedown and end my turn."

_It all depends on what kind of monster she summons next…_Marie thought, her eyes narrowing.

**(Marie: 7,000) ------- (Christine: 7,700)**

Christine drew her card and added it to her now once again full hand. She looked from one card to another, and smirked, plucking out one card and showed it to her. "I summon this guy, Tankroid, in Attack Mode!"

In front of her appeared a slate grey monster, this one with eyes like it's predecessor. It was leg less, but the giant turrent above its head made up for that, and it had a pair of dinky looking arms (1,500/1,300)

"Tankroid?" Claire asked, confused. "Michael, what's that do?"

"I don't know…" Michael said. "Wright never used it on me!"

"And now Marie's in trouble, that thing's stronger than Hail Cyber!" His girlfriend said, worried.

"Then why is she smiling…?"

"This'll teach you to mess with me like that! Tankroid, Attack her Hail Cyber with Roid Blast!"

Tankroid hummed a bit and lowered the turrent to face Hail Cyber. It shot out a missile…

"And I activate Hail Cyber's effect!" Marie smirked. "See, because you got a little too cocky to attack my Hail Cyber, the attacking monster loses 300 Attack Points, and make it a kitten compared to my girl!"

Hail Cyber shot an icy glare at Tankroid, and the machine seemed to shudder in fear. He fell to 1,200 Attack Points, and the Hail Cyber shot two icicles. One hit the missile and knocked it off course, and the second hit it in the turrent. The Tank beeped twice…and exploded.

"Uh…" Christine said with a small blink. "When…Tankroid is destroyed in battle, I can…draw a card."

She drew her card and looked at it.

"Damn…I switch Gyroid in Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Gyroid lowered itself until it was on the ground, and crossed it's wheels in front of it.

**(Marie: 7,000) ------- (Christine: 7,600)**

Marie drew a card quickly and smirked a little bit. "Excellent!" She exclaimed. "I summon this new gal, meet the Cold Enchanter!"

This one wearing a slightly more revealing dress, she stood about a foot taller than Hail Cyber, and had what appeared to be an ornamental headpiece, and a staff with what appeared to be a snow flake on the tip (1,600/1,200).

"Okay, Hail Cyber, you're first on Gyroid!"

Hail Cyber's hands began to glow, and more and more spike like icicles shot from her hands and struck Gyroid. He survived the first barrage.

"Cold Enchanter, finish him!"

She spun her staff around and pointed it at the Gyroid. It flashed blue quickly, causing a powerful air gust to blast across the field. It encased Gyroid in a thick sheet of ice, and finally both it and the monster exploded.

"And now, I set one card facedown, and end my turn!"

One facedown appeared in front of her.

"Draw!" Christine drew her card and looked from one card to another. "Now I summon this guy, meet Submarineroid!"

There was a beeping coming from her side of the field and the ground in front of her seemed to shimmer as if it turned to water. From the water appeared a blue and yellow submarine, with a angry look in it's eyes as it glared at Marie (800/1,800).

"Marie's in trouble." Michael said, deadpan. "That thing can attack an opponent directly…then switch to defense, and with a defense that high none of Marie's cards can touch it."

"Submarineroid, attack her directly with underwater missile blast!"

More beeps came, and the Submarine dove under the ground. A loud hiss came from it, and a large explosion happened on Marie's side of the field, and she screamed in pain.

"Can't take the heat? Stay out of the kitchen, princess!" Christine laughed.

"Yeah…and what better way to counter heat…than with cold?!" Marie laughed.

**(Marie: 6,200) ------ (Christine: 7,600)**

"Unless Marie summons a card with over 1,800 Attack Points, she's gonna get slammed around a lot in the entire course of this duel…" Falco gulped.

"I draw." Marie said, drawing her card calmly and smirked. She held it up for all to see, a Spell Card called Life Breathing Sculptor.

"And what do you intend to do with that?" Christine asked.

"It's not that card I'm gonna do with it…" She discarded the spell. "It's what my Cold Enchanter's gonna do."

The Cold Enchanter's staff began to glow, and suddenly the entire underside of the Submarineroid was encased in a thick layer of ice.

"Huh?" Christine asked in shock.

"Heh…because I discarded a card, I'm allowed to put an Ice Counter on your card! And because of that, the monster is now unable to switch positions, making him more of a burden than a resource!"

"Yes!" Falco shouted. "She did it!"

"And with that, doll, I end my turn." Marie said smugly, crossing her arms.

Christine drew a card and stared at it. "Gah…I summon Drilloid in Attack Mode!"

The ground in front of her began to tremble and shake, until it finally exploded and in front of her appeared a yellow and purple machine, a massive drill for a nose and two drills for hands (1,600/1,600).

"What's she doing?" Michael asked. "If she tries to attack either monster, it'll be a draw!"

"Heh, you dork." Said a deep voice from behind, and standing there was the young boy announced as Tony. "Maybe that's what she WANTS."

"What do you mean?" Michael asked.

"Just watch…" Tony said, walking forward.

"Drilloid!" Christine shouted, pointing a hand forward. "Attack Hail Cyber with Drilling Bore!"

Drilloid zoomed forward, his drills blasting to life and towards to rouge fighter.

"Hold on!" Marie shouted as her facedown flipped up. "I activate my facedown, Blizzard Curtain! This switches my monster to defense mode, and weakens your monster even more!"

The freezing cold blasted through the area, but that didn't stop the attack of the Drilloid. Even as it fell to 1,300 Attack Points, it blasted forward…and slammed into Hail Cyber. The Drill struck her stomach, and she screamed before shattering.

"Huh…what…" Marie babbled.

"Forget what my monster can do?" Christine laughed as Drilloid returned to its original 1,600 Attack Points. "It doesn't matter how strong a monsters defense is, regardless of how strong or weak it is, it's destroyed!"

"Oh…" Marie blushed, forgetting that little effect. "Eh…Right…"

"But I digress." Christine said, looking back to her cards. "I set one more card facedown, and end my turn."

"I draw then." Marie said, snatching the top card off of her deck and added it to her hand. "Now, I summon this guy to the field: Ice Knight!"

A knight appeared in front of her, but not like any knight any of them had seen. He had blue armor, and his helmet and shoulder pads seemed to be made of ice, and he held up a spear that was-big surprise-covered in ice (1,300/1,200).

"Heh, am I supposed to be scared of that?" Christine asked, crossing her arms. "Because I'm not…"

"Trust me, you should be." Marie smirked. "see, my Knight gains 400 Attack points for every Aqua type monster on the field, and my Cold Enchanter is an Aqua, and he gets 400 for himself too, for a grand total of 2,100 Attack Points!"

(1,300/1,200) --- (2,100/1,200).

"Now, attack Drilloid with Glacial Spear Thrust!"

The Ice Knight pulled back its arm and launched the Spear forward. It struck Drilloid in the Mid-section, and made it grimace in pain from behind its giant drill. A moment later, it exploded in a blast of parts and other machinery things.

"I activate my facedown!" Christine exclaimed, pointing to it. "Go, Mechanic Soul!"

"Mechanic Soul?" Marie asked, blinking a bit. "What's that do?"

"It's a strong card when used right, because now I get to send one Roid monster from my deck to the graveyard…"

After pulling out her cards, she pulled out a Decoyroid, and slid it into the graveyard.

"And now the monster you just destroyed it returned to my side of the field!"

Drilloid appeared once more in front of her, as if the card hadn't vanished at all (1,600/1,600).

"Fine!" Marie hissed, disappointed she hadn't gotten that card destroyed. "I end my turn!"

**(Marie: 6,200) ------- (Christine: 7,100)**

"Then I'LL Draw." Christ said, drawing her next card. "I play Chop Shop!"

"That's one of the cards Wright used against me!" Michael announced, jumping up. "It lets her remove a Roid monster from play, then draw three cards!"

"You're little friend's right!" Christine laughed as she plugged the card into her disk. "And I have the perfect, useless one in my graveyard to do just that, Decoyroid!"

The small, bumper car looking monster appeared before exploding into pieces of machinery in front of her. A muffler, a cog and a screw flew at Christine and morphed into three cards, which she caught and grinned.

"You think such a monster is useless?" Marie asked, surprised.

"Yeah, why not?" She asked, looking up from her cards and at her opponent.

"But…I read somewhere Syrus Truesdale once beat a duelist like that." She said, blinking a bit.

Christine seemed to twitch from that name, but Marie went on.

"Yeah, not that I remember, I saw it on a video once…yeah, he was dueling this guy, Tyranno or something. Guy was big on Dino's, and his Ultimate Tyranno did him in. Yeah, Syrus had Emergency Ambulanceroid on his side of the field and Decoyroid, and a Cyber Summon Blaster. Since Tyranno could only attack Decoyroid, he attacked it, and Emergency Rescueroid brought it back, but he could only use it once…"

"So Syrus used De-Fusion and bring back Rescueroid and Ambulanceroid, and because he did that Tyranno lose another 600 Points, and those two together didn't have a limit in which they could use their effect. So Ultimate Tyranno HAS To attack every turn, and with that combo, Decoyroid kept being brought back, and he kept blasting 300 Life Points every time!"

"SHUT UP!" Christine screamed, making them all jump in shock. "I don't need to hear about anything about Syrus Truesdale! He's a mistake of a duelist, and I AM a superior Roid Duelist! I'll prove it today! I'm going to show them, I'm not going to be upstaged by my annoying older Cousin!"

"…Wait…You're a Truesdale?!" Marie screamed in shock.

"Duh! I mean, you really think I would use these cards unless I was trying to upstage Syrus? I mean…I'm older! I'm better! I have more skill!"

"Yeah, but…Syrus got into the Pro-Leagues with Zane…" Marie whispered.

"So?! That means nothing! That was only because Zane gave him his Cyber Tail monsters!"

Marie blinked.

"See, my cousin knew about the Cyber Tail monsters, and they had this power…they drained the energy, the life out of anyone that would abuse them, but Syrus knew better…because he was a good duelist, one with pureness in his heart, the Cyber Tails wouldn't drain him when he would use them. He's a weak duelist, and he shows it almost everyday, he makes rookie mistakes! I came here to prove I'm more deserving of those cards than he is!"

"You have MAJOR issues." Michael muttered, watching the girl slowly lose her mind in front of him.

"I do not!" She hissed. "I only want what's mine! Respect, and I'll prove it by destroying this girl in front of me!"

"I've LOVE to see you try!" Marie hissed, glaring at her.

"Fine! I'll show you how much I can destroy you! It's still my turn!" She took a look at her hand, and grinned a bit. "I now do this: I first summon Jetroid in Attack Mode!"

With a loud zoom, a red fighter jet appeared in front of her, glaring daggers at Marie as it settled itself down next to Drilloid (1,200/1,800).

"Then, I set one more card facedown, and end my turn." She said, sliding a new card into her disk and having it's image appear behind Jetroid.

_Okay, gotta be careful_. Marie thought to herself as she drew her card quickly. _If she has a dangerous trap in her hand, I can seriously hurt myself!_ She looked at her new hand._ I'll have to take my chances…_

"Ice Knight!" Marie shouted. "Attack Jetroid with Glacial Spear Thrust!"

The Ice Knight grunted as it lifted up it's arm, preparing to skewer this machine like the last one…

"I can't believe you fell for it!" Christine laughed, picking out the card from her hand. "GO! Mirror Force!"

The card appeared right behind Jetroid and the mirror like force field appeared right in front of it. It struck the barrier, and broke to pieces, which sliced the Ice Knight and Cold Enchanter into pieces.

"And now you're defenseless!" Christine smirked.

"Not as defenseless as YOU think." She grinned. "I kinda expected you to keep a good trap like that in your hand, so I help off summoning this turn to summon this guy to the field, meet Ice Fighter!"

The ground in front of her erupted into a glacier, which exploded into fragments and a man was standing in the middle of the ruined glacier. He looked to be made of ice also, but his muscles were over three times the size of bowling balls, and he seemed to be quite a force to be reckoned with (1,700/1,200).

"Well…that's not…so bad…" Christine said, but was a bit worried. That thing could take out one of her own monsters.

"You'd think that." Marie chuckled, sliding a new card into her disk. "I end my turn with a facedown."

The facedown appeared right behind the Ice Fighter, and Marie's turn ended.

"Draw." Christine said, drawing her card and looked at it. "Ah…better than nothing. I summon Patroid in Attack Mode."

In front of her, adding to the addition of the other three cards on the field, a police car standing up on it's hind wheels appear, a cute little police cap atop it's head (1,200/1,200).

"Now then, let's take a look at that facedown of yours." She said.

A Whistle materialized in the Patroid's hands, and it give it a shrill whistle. Marie's facedown flipped up, showing a Rush Recklessly.

"Ah, ah, ah." Christine, scolding said. "I'm sorry, I can't have that, can't have that at ALL." She slid a new card into her disk and grinned. "I end my turn."

Marie raised an eyebrow as she drew a card. "Ah! This is good! I play…Frigid Ice Pillars!"

The ground in front of her began to shake and rattle, until two massive pillars erupted in front of her. They were completely made of ice, and gave the air around them a frigid cold feeling (0/0 X 2).

"Now then, back to business." Marie chuckled. "Ice Fighter, destroy Patroid!"

Ice Fighter roared and charged forward, holding his hand up as high as it could go. When he was within striking distance, he slammed his fist clear through the mega hard metal that made up the machine. The Patroid looked shocked, but exploded right after.

"Take that!" Marie laughed loudly.

"Gah! You bitch! I'll teach you!" Christine cursed loudly.

"Yeah, yeah." Marie smirked. "I end my turn bitch, let's see what you got!"

"I draw!" Christine shouted, drawing her card. She looked at it and smirked. "I'll teach you for summoning two cards on the field with 0 Attack Points, each!" She shouted. "Drilloid, Attack one!"

Drilloid's drills blasted to life and he zoomed forward. It struck a pillar, and did absolutely nothing.

"Huh?" Christine asked in shock, her eyes widening.

"My Frigid Ice Pillars wouldn't be strong if they didn't have an effect, now would they?" Marie grinned. "See, for every Ice Token on my side of the field, I'm allowed to negate an attack! So right now, I have the power to negate up to two attacks!"

"Oh…You're starting to become a massive pain in my side!" Christine pouted, baring her teeth. She looked at her hand, and she growled a bit. "I end my turn…"

"Then I draw!" Marie screamed, drawing another card and smirked. "Now," she announced, "I summon this guy, one of my strongest monsters! I offer Ice Fighter and one of my tokens…and summon forth the Ice Blizzard Master!"

The two monsters vanished in a gust of cold air, vanishing into snowflakes as a new monster appeared. He was very tall, a good seven feet to be exact, with a long ornamental robe, and held in his hand what appeared to be a staff with a four pointed snowflake on the tip. He stared at Christine, looked calm (2,500/2,000).

"Okay…that's a worry…" Christine said, taking a quick step back.

"And it's gonna get even worse." Marie grinned. "See, now I get to put an Ice counter on one your monsters!"

The Ice Blizzard Master pointed his staff at Drilloid, a stern look on his face. In that same instant, the treads the Drilloid had been were frozen to the ground, and he beeped in shock and surprise.

"And now…" she concluded. "There are a few cards left in your hand…so I'll have to take a risk! Ice Blizzard Master, put her Jetroid on ice with Ice Encasing!"

Turning at a different angle, he shot a blue beam at the Jetroid. It tried to fly, but was caught by the blast and frozen in mid flight. The Ice Blizzard Masters eyes flashed a brilliant blue, and the Jet shattered.

**(Marie: 6,200) ------- (Christine: 5,800)**

"You bitch!" Christine hissed. "You're going to regret that!"

"Unless you can summon something stronger," Marie said, "That's not gonna happen."

She took another card from her hand and slid it facedown.

"One more facedown will end my turn," she announced.

Christine drew her card very quickly, and smirked very evilly, as she cackled, she announced, "I play…Polymerization!"

"Oh, no…" Michael whispered as he stood up quickly, eyes wide with fright.

"What's wrong man?" Falco asked, looking up.

"This is bad, this is very bad. See, she all ready has two fusion materiel monsters on the field, and unless that trap of hers is something good, it's gonna hurt…"

"Now I fuse together the Steamroid in my hand with the Submarineroid and Drilloid in my side of the field…"

Beside the other two monsters appeared a bipedal locomotive, with an evil look in it's eyes as it whistled loudly. The Spell card appeared right behind the three monsters, in which the ice binding the three exploded into fragments, and the three roid monsters were sucked into the spell card.

"And now I summon forth one of my best monsters in my deck! Come forth, Super Vehicroid – Jumbo Drill!"

A massive shape slammed in front of Christine, and a loud whirring sound could be heard from it.

The beast that had appeared was impressive, about a foot taller than the Ice Blizzard Master, multi colored purple and dark blue, a look of pure malice in his eyes as a drill that was as big as it's body began to spin to life near the front (3,000/2,000).

"Oh boy," Marie said dully with a plain blink.

"Now, I know I can't get your Ice Blizzard Master with that damn Ice Pillar Token…"

She pulled another card from her hand. "So let's fix that, shall we? I play Tribute to the Doomed!"

She discarded a De-Fusion, and watched as the pillar exploded into pixels, as it was dragged under ground.

"Now…Super Vehicroid – Jumbo Drill, attack the Ice Blizzard Master!"

The drill once again erupted to life, and it shot forward, about to slam into the Ice Blizzard Master.

"Hold it!" Marie countered. "I activate my facedown, Fusion Freezing!"

Her facedown flipped up, and without warning the Super Vehicroid – Jumbo Drill had been frozen in a block of ice!

"What!?" Christine screamed in shock.

Suddenly, the ice began to crack, splitting across it like a map…

"I can activate this when you have a Fusion monster on the field," Marie explained. "And now I can freeze that card, and then destroy it, and Special Summon all the monsters you used to Special Summon it."

The large glacier that had frozen the Jumbo Drill shattered into three parts, showing the components. Drilloid, Steamroid, and Submarineroid all appeared again, this time in defense mode. Suddenly, their bottom halves were covered in ice.

"And of course, it gives them an Ice Counter, of course," Marie giggled.

"Of course…" Christine snarled. "Gah…fine! Whatever! I end my turn!"

"Then I draw!" She said, drawing her card. She nodded a bit. "I play…Card of Sanctity!" She shouted.

Both players drew a hand of six cards.

"And now I do this! I play Monster Reborn, and bring back Ice Knight!"

The Holy Ahnk appeared in the air above her, and in a flash the Icy armored warrior appeared, holding his staff up high and proudly.

"But he's not staying, because I offer him for Mobius, the Frost Monarch!"

The Ice Knight vanished from the field and in his place appeared a mighty, hulking warrior. It had stainless steel armor, with a long billowing cape and as he settled in, a powerful gust of wind swept through the arena, chilling the spectators (2,400/1,000).

"Be lucky you don't have any facedowns on the field, otherwise you would really be in trouble! Oh…but wait…you're all READY in trouble! Ice Blizzard Master, attack Drilloid, Mobius, attack Steamroid!"

The Ice Blizzard Master pointed his staff at Drilloid, causing it to be encased in a thick layer of ice, which exploded a moment later, while Mobius thrusted a hand forward and struck Steamroid, which whistled loudly as it exploded into pixels.

Christine was now bristling with anger as she could only look at her hand. Nothing…nothing…nothing! She was only missing one key component!

Marie on the other hand had a proud smirk on her face. "I end my turn! Let's see if you can get out of this one!"

"I draw!" Christine shouted, looking at her now Seven card hand. Her eyes popped out as she saw her newly drawn card.

"And now I summon this! Meet Expressroid!"

A new card appeared in front of her. This one was odd looking, like a express train with slick white metal features as it parked itself carefully in front of Christine (400/1,600).

"And this guys Special Effect is, it let's me take any two Roid Monsters I want from my Graveyard, and add them to my hand."

Two cards, Drilloid, and Steamroid, appeared in her hands.

"And now…I'm gonna make you PAY for destroying one of my best cards! I play…Vehicroid Connection Zone!"

The Spell card appeared on her side of the field.

"It's a special Polymerization for my Roids, especially when I wanna summon a Super Vehicroid to the field! And I'm about to summon one of the best…"

Three more monsters appeared on the field. Drilloid was first, it's drills whirling to life. Next to that one a black Stealth Jet with red sunglasses like objects over it's eyes. And finally, with Expressroid in the center, a semi truck on all it's wheels appeared, adding up to four monsters.

"And now, I fuse together Drilloid, Expressroid, Stealthroid, and Truckroid…"

The four monsters suddenly exploded into composite materials, piling on top of each other forming legs, a torso, legs…

"Meet your destruction, _**SUPER VEHICROID – STEALTH UNION!**_"

For those who had seen the show, the machine seemed nothing more of as Transformer, or possibly a robot from the Power Rangers. The Stealthroid seemed to make up its chest and head, giving it sunglasses almost, with drills on both its knee caps, and drills for the hands. It landed with a loud crash on the floor, and poised itself so a drill was pointing right at Marie (3,600/3,000).

"Whoa!" screamed Roland. "Looks as if Christine has turned the tables!"

"That thing's stronger than your Blue Eyes, Kaiba!" Joey sneered, turning to his rival.

Seto's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Very good Wheeler, you can do math…"

"How's Marie gonna beat that thing?" Falco asked.

"I…I don't know," Michael gasped, "Wright never used this on me!"

"Super Vehicroid – Stealth Union," Christine began, "Attack Mobius!"

The giant robot pointed an arm at the Frost Monarch, and a drill shot out from it. It struck Mobius in the chest, and after a moment of bellowing, exploded into pixels.

**(Marie: 5,000) ------- (Christine: 5,800)**

"That thing's a beast!" Yugi said, leaning over the side. "How's she gonna beat it!"

"That's what I wanna know…" Falco said, leaning forward.

"Looks like your boyfriends all mine Princess!" Christine giggled. "I end my turn!"

"Then I draw!" Marie screamed, and without missing a beat, shouted, "Ice Blizzard Master, put an Ice Counter on that thing!"

The Ice Blizzard Master pointed its staff at the thing, and the robot's legs were coated in ice.

"And now I activate my Ice Blizzard Masters second effect!"

"SECOND effect?" Christine asked.

"Yep, see, by offering him, I'm allowed to destroy all monsters on the field with Ice Counters on him! So get ready for a sudden freeze effect, big guy!"

The Ice Blizzard Master narrowed his eyes and slammed his staff on the ground. A powerful gust, carrying snow blasted from him to her side of the field. Her entire field was shrouded, and when the smoke cleared, the Ice Blizzard Master and Submarineroid were gone…

But the Super Vehicroid – Stealth Union was still on the field!

"But…What?" Marie asked as her eyes widened.

"Wonder what makes Super Vehicroid Connection Zone so Special?" Christine asked, "See, when I summon a monster with it, you can't destroy the monster with card effects, and his effect can't be negated either! He's too powerful for you to take down either!"

"That thing is invincible!" Matt shouted, looking over the side. "Looks like she's done for…"

"Don't count her out yet man…" Falco said, "She'll find a way…"

"Okay…since I haven't summon yet…I summon…the Ice Archer in Attack Mode!"

In front of her appeared another creature, kind of like Ice Fighter and made purely of ice, but rather with a quiver of bows and bow. It cocked an arrow and pointed it at Christine (1,100/900).

"See, this card is strong, because I can now deal you 200 Points of Damage for every Ice card in my graveyard. So that means Ice Fighter, Ice Knight, Frigid Ice Pillar, and Ice Blizzard Master, so that's 800 Life Points!"

The Ice Archer cocked back the bow, and let the arrow fly and strike Christine in the chest. She cried out and held her chest.

**(Marie: 5,000) ------- (Christine: 5,000)**

"I…" Marie looked at her hand and slid in another card. "I finish my turn by playing Nightmare Steel Cage!"

A ring of fire began to appear around Christine, and a large cage, large enough to contain the Super Vehicroid in it's structure erupted around Christine, and she growled.

"And now…I end my turn."

"Then I draw." Christine said, drawing her card. She scowled. "Damn…I end my turn."

Marie drew a card, and then pointed to Christine. "Ice Archer, do it!"

The Ice Archer pulled out another bow, and he pulled it back, let it fly, and struck Christine in the chest again. She growled this time, rather than yelped.

"I switch the Ice Archer to defense mode…and end my turn."

The Ice Archer knelt down, putting his bow on his lap.

Christine drew a card, and an evil smirk crossed her lips. "I play Mind Control!"

The Ice Archer gasped, and stood up.

"This is a dubbed down version of Change of Heart, but is powerful Regardless!"

The Ice Archer walked over to Christine's side of the field, and knelt down once more in defense mode.

"Yeah, but you can't attack with it, and it's just gonna come back to me when your turn ends," Marie pointed out.

"No, it's not," Christine began, "Because I'm equipping it to my Super Vehicroid."

"Say huh now?" Marie asked, blinking.

"My Super Vehicroid has a Special Ability too. See, I can now take a non-Machine type monster on my side of the field, and when I do that, I can attack every monster on your side of the field if I cut his attack in half."

The chest of the giant robot slid apart, and the Ice archer slid into what appeared to be a cock pit. It shut with a quick whir.

"And what's more, your field is now barren! Super Vehicroid – Stealth Union, attack her directly with Drill Thruster Punch!"

Another drill launched out and struck Marie in the chest. She screamed and fell to the ground, hard.

"MARIE!" Falco screamed; leaning over the edge of the balcony they were on.

"I'm okay! I'm okay!" Marie gasped, standing up and gasping for breath.

"Not for long you are!" Christine laughed. "One more turn and you're toast!"

**(Marie: 1,400) ------- (Christine: 4,200)**

"I end my turn!" Christine grinned. "Make your final move!"

"Draw…" Marie said weakly. She drew her card, and she grinned. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon, which destroys my Ice Archer."

The Tornado blasted from the card and went to the Machine. It slid open, and the Ice Archer exploded into ice fragments.

"Then, I play Foolish Burial. I put one more Ice Knight into my graveyard."

An Ice Knight slid out of her deck, and she put it in her graveyard.

"Then…I summon forth MY best monster!"

She slid a card into her disk, and a cold air began to drift into the air.

"Meet my main gal, _**SHIVA, THE ICE SPIRIT!**_"

A beautiful young woman appeared in front of Marie, completely made of ice like the previous monsters. With jewelry made of crystals, and ice crystals flew around her in a dull manor (0/0).

"Am I supposed to be scared?" Christine giggled. "Because…honestly, that's NOTHING."

"Um, yes it is," Marie said, "Because she's a massivly powerful card. She gains 500 Attack Points for every Ice monster in my graveyard, and that's seven cards!"

Shiva merely stood, and watched as her scores readjusted (0/0)---(3,500/3,500).

"That's not enough," Christine chuckled. "Sorry princess. Better luck next time."

"Oh?" Marie asked. "Well, how about this then? I play…Double Attack!"

She held up a card named The Ice Queen.

"I discard my Level Eight Ice Queen, and let my Level Four Shiva attack you twice! And because I have another Ice Monster in my graveyard…"

Christine's eyes widened as Shiva rose to 4,000 Attack Points!

"Shiva!" Marie called, "Attack Super Vehicroid – Stealth Union!"

Shiva rose her arms, and her eyes began to glow. As if she didn't care, a sub zero temperature mist blew from her hands. It shrouded over the Super Vehicroid and it took a step back, as if in shock…then began to rust over, and ultimately exploded.

Christine growled as she fell 400 Life Points, but saw Marie fell 500 Life Points.

"What…happened? Why did you lose Life Points?" She gasped.

"See, Shiva is a strong monster," Marie began, "And strong monsters often at times have drawbacks. In order for me to attack with her, I have to pay 500 Life Points…" she grinned a bit, "But I have enough to finish you off! Shiva, teach her a lesson! Finish her off!"

Shiva thrusted her hands forward and it struck Christine in the chest. She fell over, panting heavily from the cold.

"And that's…game."

**(Marie: 400) ------- (Christine: 0)**

"The winner!" Roland screamed over the roar of the crowd. "Marie Oswald!"

"All right Marie!" Falco grinned, running up as the crowd cheered. "You did excellently baby!"

"Damn right I did." She smirked as she hugged her boyfriend tightly.

"The next round will begin shortly!" Roland announced. "Will all the duelists please gather around to see who will go next?"

Once again, the group fathered forward as the television screen crawled out of the ground. The images began to flash from left to right, showing the pictures of the remaining contestants, until finally it stopped…on Claire's picture, and Tony's.

"The next round will be Tony VS Claire!"

Tony looked over at Claire and smirked, saying "Heh, get ready to get pounded into the ground, princess." He grinned.

"Funny," She chuckled. "I was gonna say the same to you."

The two of them glared at each other…

While Philip stood off to the side, his eyes scanned Tony. A soft grin crossed his lips.

"Hm…he will indeed do…"

------------------------------------------------------------------

**Quick Rush**  
**Type**: Spell  
**Image**: A young princess dressed in a white gown standing in front of Zanki.  
**Effect**: Activate one of the following effects.

One Level Four or lower monster on your side of the field may attack on the field turn.  
- Draw one card from your deck.

_Note: "Quick Rush" Was first used by Chazz in the anime episode "Return of the sacred beasts" All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**Tankroid**  
**Type**: Machine/Effect/Earth  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,500/1,300  
**Stars**: 4  
**Effect**: When this card is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the graveyard, draw one card from your deck.

**Mechanic Soul  
Type**: Trap  
**Image**: Three mechanics working tiredly on a fighter jet  
**Effect**: Activate only when a "Roid" Monster you control would be destroyed as a result of battle. By sending one "Roid' monster from your deck to the graveyard, the monster is not destroyed.

_Note: The above two cards were first used by Syrus Truesdale in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Manga. All creative Credit goes to the writers of that Manga._

**Hail Cyber**  
**Type**: Warrior/Effect/Water  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,300/1,500  
**Stars**: 4  
Effect: Decrease the ATK of a Monster that battles "Hail Cyber" by 300 Points.

**Cold Enchanter**  
**Type**: Aqua/Effect/Water  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,600/1,200  
**Stars**: 4  
**Effect**: Once per turn, you can discard one card from your hand to put one "Ice Counter" on one of your opponents monsters. A monster with an Ice Counter can't change positions.

**Ice Blizzard Master**  
**Type**: Spellcaster/Effect/Water  
**Attack/Defense**: 2,500/2,000  
**Stars**: 8  
**Effect**: By giving up 2 Water Monster on your side of the field, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. Once per turn, you can place one "Ice Counter" on one card on the field. By giving this card up as a tribute, destroy all monsters on the field with Ice Counters on them.

**Fusion Freezing**  
**Type**: Trap  
**Image**: A circular chunk of ice cracked in half  
**Effect**: Destroy a fusion monster on the opponents side of the field and return it's material monsters onto the field. Play 1 Ice Counters on each of those monsters. Those monsters with Ice Counters cannot change battle Modes.

**Blizzard Curtain**  
**Type**: Trap  
**Image**: A blinding light with a powerful blizzard blasting through  
**Type**: When an Attack Position monster becomes an attack target, change it to Defense Position. When the monster whose Position was changed is destroyed, place one Ice Counter on the monster that attacked

**Frigid Ice Pillars**  
**Type**: Spell  
**Image**: Two large ice pillars bursting from the ground  
**Effect**: Special Summon two "Ice Pillar Tokens" on your side of the field (Type: Aqua/Attribute: Water/ATK: 0/DEF: 0/Stars: 1). You can negate an attack equal to the number of Ice Pillars on the field.

_Note: The Above Six cards were first used by Alexis in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Manga. All creative credit goes to the writers of that Manga._

**Ice Knight**  
**Type**: Aqua/Effect/Water  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,300/1,200  
**Stars**: 4  
**Effect**: This card gains 400 ATK for each Aqua-type on the field.

_Note: "Ice Knight" was first used by Frost in the anime episode "Taken by Storm" All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**Ice Fighter**  
**Type**: Aqua/Effect/Water  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,700/1,200  
**Stars**: 4  
**Flavor Text**: "This creature was once a man who sought to challenge all obstacles the Earth could provide for him and become the world's best martial artist ever. But he succumbed to the cold perils of the icy wastelands. Centuries later, he was revived by Neo Aqua Madoor and now exists as an icy spirit driven by vengeance."

**Ice Archer**  
**Type**: Aqua/Effect/Water  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,100/900  
**Stars**: 3  
**Effect**: Once per turn, you can inflict 200 Damage to your opponent for every "Ice" monster in your graveyard. This card cannot attack if you use this effect.

**Shiva, the Ice Spirit**  
**Type**: Aqua/Effect/Water  
**Attack/Defense**: 0/0  
**Stars**: 4  
**Effect**: This card can only be Normal Summoned. This card gains 500 ATK and DEF for each monster with "Ice" in their names. If you wish to attack with this card, pay 500 Life Points.

_Note: Ice Fighter, Ice Archer, and Shiva, the Ice Spirit were all used by my close and personal bro, DuelistBlake1852. All creative credit goes to him. Thanks dude!_

**Chop Shop**  
**Type**: Spell  
**Image**: A Cycroid strapped to a table as a man with a blow torch walks closer to him  
**Effect**: Remove one Machine-type "Roid" monster in your graveyard from play. Draw three cards from your deck.

_Note: Chop Shop was first used in "The Seal of Orichalcos: The Next Generation"_

------------------------------------------------------------------

And with that, the first round ends and the tournament begins! Next time, Claire goes up against the Dark master himself, Tony. Can her denizens of heaven defeat the dwellers of darkness? Find out next time in "Yin-Yang, Clash of the Metaphysical Forces!"


	4. YinYang, Clash of the Metaphysical Forc

Disclaimer: MichaelDj54 does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! In any way, shape or form, nor does he tend to make money from this.  
Michael: Wow, Blake's right, this IS annoying…

"Yin-Yang, Clash of the Metaphysical Forces!"

"So…" Marie asked as she joined her friends in the balcony. "Claire's up next."

"Against some guy who looks like Bandit Freakin' Keith," Joey quipped, leaning over the balcony.

"She best do well," Kaiba sneered off from the side, crossing his arms, "This guy looks tough…"

His attention turned to Yugi, who was currently looking over the side innocently.

"I will hurt you, Yugi, if you made me bring these for kids into this tournament, and they disappoint…" he snarled.

"They won't, Kaiba," Yugi said calmly, "Just watch…"

"What kind a' deck does 'dis little lady run, anyhow?" Joey asked, looking down at the currently empty dueling field.

"She uses a Fairy Deck," Michael answered, standing beside Yugi, his right foot developing quite a nasty tic.

"Fairies?" Kaiba's eyebrow twitched. "She uses…fairies? Perfect…just perfect."

"Don't underestimate such monsters, Kaiba," Yugi lectured, "I'm getting quite a vibe from her. She has…quite a power to her."

"You'd best be right," Kaiba snarled, "I don't want any copy cat duelists of your ditzy girlfriend, Tea."

Yugi's eye twitched at that little comment, but said nothing otherwise.

He would get him back…soon enough.

"So," Said the voice that belonged to Tony, as he took one more puff of his cigarette and flicked it off to the side. "I gotta duel YOU, eh princess?"

"Rule number one about me, buddy," Claire snarled, "DON'T Call me princess…"

"Awww, why not?" he sneered. "Gonna slap me otherwise?"

"Ooooh…" Claire hissed. "And to think I WAS gonna go easy on you…but now I think I can slam you around a few times."

"Psh, please," he laughed. "You probably couldn't slap down a five year old!"

"At least I can count to five!" Claire shouted.

"Ooooh you little…!" Tony shouted, raising up his fist as if to strike her.

"Hey you two!" Roland shouted, grabbing his arm, "Cut it out! Save the violence for the arena!"

Tony and Claire kept the glare going for a few seconds, until he finally snapped his arm away from Roland, and was now up in her face.

"I don't like you," He hissed a little, "And by the end of this tournament, you're going to be begging me for mercy…"

"Well then, how about we make things a little bit more interesting, if you're so damn sure of yourself," Claire growled a little.

"Oh?" Tony asked, tilting a head, "I'm listening."

"Whoever loses has to forfeit their rarest card," Claire said, her eyes narrowing.

There was a pause, and Tony laughed. "Please! That's IT? Come on, I thought you were tougher than that!"

"Well…what did YOU have in mind?" asked Claire.

"Our entire deck."

Claire's breath hitched in her throat. "Our WHOLE deck?"

"Did I stutter?" asked Tony, smirking, "or are you…chicken?"

Claire's eyes narrowing, and she growled. A few seconds later, she hissed, "Fine…our whole deck…"

"Good girl…" Tony laughed.

"And now let the second round begin!" shouted Roland's voice from the outside. "Will the duelists please come out so we may move on?"

"Ladies first," Tony snickered, raising a hand to the entrance.

Claire twitched at him and walked out, hearing the loud cheers of the spectators.

"And now we have the competitors!" Roland screamed. "Tony Alvarado and Claire Upward! Let's give them a hand folks!"

Another loud round of applause could be heard, along with Marie, Michael and Falco's cries of, "GO CLAIRE!"

"And now as we move on, please remember, we want a good clean duel! Now let's get this show on the road!

"DUEL!"

**(Claire: 8,000) ------- (Tony: 8,000)**

"Know what I'm gonna do, princess?" Tony asked as he snatched his opening hand of five cards. "I'm gonna be a gentlemen and let you go first."

"Oh how sweet," Claire sneered, drawing her additional card.

After staring at it for a moment, she slid it into her disk. In a small flash, a defensive monster appeared in front of her.

"I think I'll end my turn now." Claire announced.

"That's it?" Kaiba sneered. "I'm not impressed…"

"Give it time, Sir," Michael said, "I'm sure that thing is a good one…"

"Then I'll go now!" Tony exclaimed as he snatched the top card off of his deck. After a few moments of searching, he slid a card in, slowly.

"Come forth, Archfiend Soldier!"

The monster that had appeared was something that didn't shock anyone. With violet armor and a frightening looking face, a long green cape, and a rusty cutlass appeared. It let loose a snarled and readied his blade. (1,900/1,500)

"Fiends…" Claire sighed. "Why am I not surprised…?

"You saying I have no originality!" Tony hissed, "I'll teach you, Archfiend Soldier, attack her defense with Archfiend Avenger!"

The Fiend let out a low moan and leaped at the monster. What appeared…was not too expected.

It was a very cute looking creature, with pink, squishy looking skin and an upside down face: Where the eyes were in place of mouth and vice versa. (300/500)

The sword slammed into the spongy looking creature, but it merely bent and bounced back, making the fiend leap back in shock. Apparently, the creature didn't seem too pleased with the attack on it, for its mouth opened and revealed several rows of razor sharp fangs.

"Hey…what the…" Tony said, taking a step back.

The small monster growled and leapt forward. The next thing Tony knew it was now digging it's fangs into Tony's arm!

"OW! What the hell!?" he screamed, shaking the small blobby creature off.

"You attacked my Marshmallon!" Claire giggled as the monster jiggled back to her side of the field. "A monster that can't be destroyed in battle! And since you attacked it, you lose 1,000 Life Points!"

The bite marks in Tony's upper arm began to glow a bright red, and he growled in anger.

"Bitch…" he groaned.

**(Claire: 8,000) ------- (Tony: 7,000)**

"Anything else you wanna do?" Claire asked, smirking rather darkly.

Tony's eyes went back to his hand, and he looked about briefly. "Shoot…no, I end my turn."

"And I start mine!" Claire shouted, drawing another card. "And now, I discard this card, known as Zeradias, Herald of Heaven, a special kind of monster I like to refer to as a…Terramonster."

"A Terramonster," Tony asked. "What's that?"

"It's a type of monster, that allows me to discard it from my hand allow me to take a certain Field Spell from my deck to my hand," said Claire, showing the card she had just received.

Sanctuary in the Sky.

"Oh man," Michael grinned, "Soon as she plays that, Tony's in for some HURT."

"However, I think I'm gonna end my turn after that," Claire shrugged.

"She just…" Falco blinked, "Ended her turn, like that?"

"Must be planning something…" Yugi said, narrowing her eyes.

"She best hope dat Tony don't have a Brain Control a' something!" Joey exclaimed. "Or else she's gonna be in a WORLD a' hurt…"

Tony drew his card, and he seethed. "Well, if I can't destroy that thing. At least I can build up a little army! I summon Skull Knight #2!"

There was a loud, ghastly laughter as a new fiend appeared. This one had silver, shiny armor and a spiked and horned helmet, swinging about a purple blade. (1,000/1,200)

"And with that, I end my turn," Tony crossed his arms. "So come on Princess, hit me with your best shot!"

"I plan to!" Claire shouted, drawing her card. "Now, take us to…"

Her field spell slot opened and she slid a card into it.

"The Sanctuary in the Sky!"

There was a massive flash of light, and around the two duelists came a massive building behind her. Clouds and other cherubs could be seen floating about, and the delightful smell of saffron filled the air.

"Ah, so this is what heaven looks like," Tony commented, looking around.

"Funny, it's the closest thing you'll ever get to it," Claire giggled. "But moving on, I'll summon…Nova Summoner!"

A monster rose up from the clouds of the sanctuary, quite off looking. Not really a fairy, it looked more like an orange wreath with wings than anything else. (1,400/800)

"Ha! You think THAT scares me? It can't beat my Archfiend Soldier!" Tony laughed.

"No, but it CAN beat your Skull Knight! Attack!"

The Nova Summoner glowed a bright orange color, and a massive beam of energy shot from it. It struck the Skull Knight, and it groaned in pain, exploding into pixels.

**(Claire: 8,000) ------- (Tony: 6,600)**

"You…are a very lucky bitch," Tony's eye twitched.

"Not lucky! Skilled," She giggled a little. "I end my turn!"

"Draw!" Tony roared, drawing his card. "Now, I summon forth the Opticlops to the field!"

There was a bellowing roar, and in front of him appeared, a fiend with dark orange sin and massive, boulder like muscles. A large horn placed in the center of its forehead, and a single eye placed under that. (1,800/1,700)

"Opticlops, attack her Nova Summoner!" Tony ordered.

The Opticlops roared and charged forward, horn first. He struck the odd fairy and blew it to pieces a second later.

"Heh, thanks!" Claire grinned, "See, my Nova Summoner is lot like Shining Angel, when it's destroyed, I can Special Summon a Light Monster from my deck to the field with 1,500 or less attack points!"

"Go ahead and do it then!" Tony laughed, "My Archfiend will slice it apart!"

"BUT, since I'm in it's home, I can special Summon something with a little bit more substance, like…" she said, taking a card from her deck, "The Airknight Parshath!"

There was a blinding flash of light, and the galloping of hooves was heard. From the clouds about the heavenly arena, a majestic beast appeared. It was more or less a centaur, with long golden flowing hair, a thick helmet, and a long sword. (1,900/1,500)

Tony could only blink in surprise. "Okay…that's bad…"

"Hell yeah it's bad!" Claire grinned. "Anything else you wanna do?"

He looked at his hand and slid a new car into his disk. "Eh…all I can do is set this card facedown…"

Claire drew her card and smirked a little bit. "I set one card facedown…and have my Airknight carve up that Opticlops of yours!"

The Airknight charged forward, holding her sword up high until she finally got within striking distance and sliced him. The Opticlops only blinked and looked at itself, only to see his upper half sliding from his lower half. He fell to the ground with a rather dull thud. The two halves shattered on contact.

**(Claire: 8,000) ------- (Tony: 6,500)**

"And because I damaged your Life Points, I can draw a card," she announced, doing so.

"This is so awesome!" Michael shouted, "She's doing better than I've ever seen her!"

"Come on Claire!" Marie shouted, "Show him how it's done!"

She looked at her new card and slid it in, next to the one she had just set down.

"One more facedown will end my turn!"

"Draw!" Tony shouted, drawing his card and he looked at it. He grinned evilly, shouting, "I play Brain Control!"

Eight hundred Life Points were drained from him, which made him groan loudly, suddenly a rather large, frightening looking brain appeared.

"And I'll gladly take that Marshmallon of yours!"

A pair of ghastly looking arms leaked out of the brain and shot them forward, snatching up the small marshmallow creature.

"And now…I'm offering HIM, for my king of the fiends, Dark Ruler Ha Des!"

"Knew it," Michael mumbled.

The small monster fizzled out of existence, and in its place a massive black bonfire appeared. From it stepped the mighty king of fiends, Dark Ruler Ha Des. (2,450/1,600)

"Now then, back to the slaughter! Dark Ruler Ha Des, roast her horsy alive!"

Ha Des let out a cackling sort of laugh and thrusted his hand forward, causing a billowing torrent of green flames to erupt. They struck the centaur, causing it to neigh and explode into pixels.

"Now my Archfiend Soldier, attack her directly!"

The Archfiend let out a guttural battle cry and leapt forward, and slammed his sword against Claire's chest. She fell back into one of the clouds with a small squeak of shock.

**(Claire: 6,100) ------- (Tony: 6,500)**

"Claire!" Michael shouted in worry, leaning over the railing of the viewer box.

"Calm down, she's fine," Kaiba said in a bored, drawling voice, "see? She's getting up."

This was true, as Claire rose up to her feet slowly, shuddering a little bit in pain. "I'm okay…" she announced. "Ow though…"

"Had enough just yet?" Tony asked with a cackling laugh. "Because there's more where that came from!"

"Do you end your turn or not?!" Claire screamed, eyes narrowing.

"Yeah, I do," he said with a grin, "go on, and hit me with your best shot!"

"Draw!" she screamed, snatching the top card off her deck and looking at it. She looked around at her surroundings, and grinned a little bit. "Okay! I set one card facedown, and end my turn!"

"Then it's my turn!" Tony said with a loud laugh as he drew his card, then looked at the monsters on his side of the field. A wide grin broke across his face.

"Now you're in for it! I sacrifice my Dark Ruler Ha Des and Archfiend Solider for one of my greatest monsters! Maju Garzett!"

Both monsters evaporated into puddles of muck and slime, and slowly began to rise up in a pillar of much. The beast that rose up was rather…disgusting looking.

Skeletal in appearance, with thick, sickly green fur all over its body and a fanged mouth appeared. Half of its face was covered in hair, while the other had a long centipede look to it. It roared at Claire, more of a shriek that anything. (?/0)

"And handsome back here gains Attack Points equal to the monsters in which I summoned him!" Tony said loudly.

"Wait…" Joey said, pulling out his fingers. "Ha Des had 2,450 Attack Points…and dat Archfiend had 1,900…so that means…" He paused.

Kaiba rolled his eyes in disgust, noting, "its 4,350 Attack Points, mutt. Don't strain yourself."

"Stop calling me a mutt, Kaiba!" Joey screamed.

"I'll stop calling you a mutt when you stop acting like one."

"You're done for now!" Tony said with a loud chuckle. "Maju Garzett, attack her life points directly!"

"Oh no you don't, I'm activating my facedown card, Light of Judgment!" Claire announced, pointing to her facedown.

The clouds around the Sanctuary in the Sky began to crackle and rumble with thunder.

"Seeing as most beasts aren't allowed in Sanctuary in the Sky, the ultimate punished is cast upon them for the blasphemy! I'm allowed to discard a Light monster from my hand, and a monster on your side of the field bites the big one!"

She discarded a card from her hand (Absorbing Kid from the Sky) and a bolt of lightning shot from the clouds and struck the fiend. It roared and bent back, exploding into pixels.

Tony, with a loud growl and a stamp of his foot, slid a card into his deck, announcing, "Fine! I play Silent Doom, allowing me to Special Summon a Normal monster from my grave to the field in Defense Mode."

In a flash of light, the Archfiend soldier appeared, kneeling down in defense mode.

"Then I end my turn…"

"Bout time!" Claire exclaimed, drawing her card and staring at it. "Excellent! You're not the only one with Beat stick monsters around here! I summon the Hysteric Fairy in Attack Mode!"

A new monster appeared, this one appeared very…business-y. She had black and slicked back, and she had a tight two piece suit, thick glasses and a clipboard just above her arm. He looked at it periodically, as if that were more important than the duel. (1,800/1,000)

"Now my Fairy, attack his Archfiend Soldier with Court Order Blast!"

The fairy sighed and looked up. She grabbed her glasses, moved them up, then down, as if to adjust them, and shot out a beam of light from her spectacles. They hit the monster and sent its bits and pieces flying into the air.

"Well, guess that's that!" She said with a grin. "I end my turn now!"

Tony drew his card calmly and with a smirk. "Think you're so slick? I'm gonna show you what happens when you piss me off! I set a monster in defense mode, and end my turn!"

Claire watched in a bored manner as she saw the defense monster appear, and she drew her own card. She smirked a little bit, showed it to him and shouted, "I summon Dunames Dark Witch in Attack Mode!"

In a bright flash of light, a majestic looking fairy appeared, with large bronze wings and a gentle face. She grinned at Tony before crossing her arms. (1,800/1,050)

Tony gulped and took a step back.

"Hysteric Fairy, attack his defense monster!" Claire ordered, pointing a hand forward.

Once again the Fairy adjusted her glasses, making the beam of light erupt from her eyes and fly forward. The monster that it made a connection with was a frightening thing, one that seemed to be half dug into the ground, with only it's hands and head above the crack in which it was in. It let out a loud moan as it blocked the lasers. (500/2,000)

"Sorry, toots," Tony said with a smirk. "But my Earthbound Spirit has a little bit more oomph than your fairy does."

"Fine…Details…" She said with a low growl. "I just end my turn and turn it over to you…"

Drawing his card, Tony noted how much he needed to destroy this Field Spell…

_This Field Spell is going to become a massive pain in my side unless I do something…_

He looked at his card in his hand, and chuckled a little bit.

_It's better than nothing…_

"Now then, I offer my Earthbound Spirit To summon my Legendary Fiend!" He waved a hand as an emphasis.

The head and arms vanished into pixels of light, which floated into the air to make way for a new, rather hideous monster o make it's scene. The skin of this new beast was a sickly blue, and it had two sets of hands: One set had three long claws, and the second had dangerous looking snakes poking their heads out. The fiend landed in front of Tony, it's pitch black wings fluttering in the wind. (1,500/1,800)

"Claire!" Yugi suddenly shouted, leaning over the edge. "Don't underestimate that thing! Destroy it as soon as you can!"

"But-" Claire said, blinking a little bit.

"No helping her, Moto!" Tony shouted out with a grin. "That's considered cheating!"

Yugi only scowled.

"Now then, back to the duel…" Tony told his opponent, holding up a card in his hand. "I play the Spell card, Nightmare Steelcage!"

A circle of fire erupted around Claire's field, and she jumped back just as a circular cage slammed around her, sealing her and her monsters off.

"Heh, I think that'll keep you in your place for a little bit," he told her with a small sneer. "let's see if you got anything else in that puny little fairy arsenal of yours!"

"Let's see indeed!" Claire shouted, drawing her card quickly. She looked at it, and played it in. "I summon Zolga, in Attack Mode!"

In front of her, the creature that appeared to be merely a floating, dark cloak with an ornamental headdress on the top. (1,700/1,200

"Be lucky I can't attack, so I'll end my turn!"

Tony drew his card, and smirked at the shocked look on Claire's face. The Legendary Fiend's attack had risen to 2,200!

"What?" Claire gasped.

"There a reason my Legendary Fiend is so…um…Legendary. See, during every one of my standby phases, he increases his Attack points by Seven Hundred Points a turn!"

"Does he have a…limit?" Claire gulped.

"Now would a Legendary Beast have a limit?" Tony smirked.

"Well, actually…" Claire began, looking about ready to answer the question.

"It was a rhetorical question!" Tony sighed. "You don't answer it! Now I end my turn!"

Claire drew her card and looked at it. With a sigh, she turned all the cards on her disk. All of her face up monsters kneeled down or floated down into a defensive position.

"I switch all of my Fairies to Defense Mode and end my turn…"

"Wait…why would she switch all of her monsters into Defense Mode?" Falco asked, scratching the side of his head. "They're protected by the sanctuary…so why switch them into defense mode?"

"I think we're about to find out…" Michael said, noticing the evil grin Tony was giving his girlfriend.

"Well, well, well…" He stated just as his fiend rose up to 2,900 Attack points, and the cage dissolved like sugar in a rainstorm around Claire. "I think it's time we did some damage to the pretty little girl…no?"

He slid a card into his disk.

"And I'm gonna do it with the spell card, Hellfire Flame!"

The Legendary Fiend began to glow with a dark energy…

"I can only activate this when I have a face up Fiend type monster on my side of the field. The current Field spell is destroyed…"

The Fiend erupted into fire and energy, and the Sanctuary vanished from the field.

"We both lose 1,000 Life Points…"

He grimaced while Claire moaned, a fiery aura surrounding the two of them.

"And now all of your monsters lose 1,000 Attack Points!"

At the same time, all of her fairies (The Zolga merely floated there) and glowed too. Dunames Dark Witch and Hysteric Fairy fell to 800 Attack Points each, while Zolga fell to a partial 700.

"Well…thank god for instinct," Marie gulped.

"Legendary Fiend, attack her Hysteric Fairy with dark blast!"

The Legendary's Fiend's eyes began to glow, and unexpectedly, she burst into flames and was reduced to ashes in a mere moment.

Tony's laughs echoed around the Arena, as he waved his hand to end his turn.

**(Claire: 5,100) ------- (Tony: 5,500)**

Claire drew a card quickly, and she stared at the card for a moment. _I never thought I'd be this thankful I added this card to my deck…_

A facedown defense monster appeared right between Dunames and the Zolga.

"And end my turn…"

"Not even gonna bother bringing back that Sanctuary?" Tony taunted as he drew his card and looked at it briefly.

The Fiend roared as it grew a little larger. Its attack rose to 3,600!

"That thing's--" Joey began.

"So help me, Wheeler, if you say that thing is stronger than my Blue Eyes…" Kaiba warned, his eyes narrowing at the Blonde Hair duelist.

"Eh…Heh…I wasn't gonna say anything…" Joey said nervously, rubbing the back of his head, cleared his throat and turned back to the duel at hand.

"Legendary Fiend," Tony commanded, pointing a thick fist forward, "Attack her defense with Legendary Combustion!"

The Legendary Fiend's eyes began to glow once more, and the facedown flipped up, shocking a large majority of the audience. A Morphing Jar appeared, cackled and burst into flames.

"I trust you know how this works?" Claire asked, discarding her hand.

"You'd have to be an idiot not to." Tony said, doing the same.

Another second later, both of them had drawn a full hand of five, and both of their eyes widened.

_Perfect!_ Both of them exclaimed in their heads.

Tony slid another card into his disk. "Now then, I set this one card facedown, and end my turn."

"Draw!" Claire shouted, drawing her card. She looked at it for a moment, then smiled. "I play Pot of Greed!" She exclaimed.

The chuckling gourd appeared on her side of the field, and she drew her cards, bringing her up to seven.

She looked over her hand, and showed him a card. "Now, I play this, Magic Stone Excavation. I discard these two cards…" She slid a Mystic Shine Ball and Cestus of Dagla to the graveyard. "And I can take another Spell from my Graveyard to my hand. And guess what I'm bringing back!"

In a blast of energy, the Sanctuary surrounded the two once more.

"Oh whatever…" Tony said, rolling his eyes.

"Trust me…it's gonna get worse," She told him, giggling, "Because I summon Warrior of Zera in Attack Mode!"

In front of her, a warrior with deep, tan skin appeared, wearing a green headdress, complete with two orange horns atop his head, and an orange scarf around his neck. He stared at Tony, his eyes narrowing as he lifted his blue sword. (1,600/1,600)

Tony could only cock an eyebrow in curiosity. He wondered what she could do with THAT thing…

His eyes widened. It hit him.

Hard.

"Now, since I have my Sanctuary in the Sky on the field, I can offer him to summon one of my greatest monsters! Arise, Archlord Zerato!"

The Warrior of Zera was enshrouded in a bright light, and slowly his shape began to change…

Eventually, the light faded, and he became quite a powerful looking beast. Long, emerald, majestic wings sprouted from behind him, and he had a tan, muscular chest. He carried a long, curved blade, and his eyes were mere pools of light. His long orange scarf wrapped around his mouth, as he pointed a hand at Tony. (2,800/2,300)

Tony growled and bared his teeth in anger…

"And since I'm sure almost everyone knows how this card works…" Claire said with a smug smirk. She held up another card, a Shining Abyss, and slid it into the graveyard

Archlord Zerato's sword began to glow with an unearthly glow, as did the giant mirror atop the Sanctuary of the Sky.

"By discarding a Light monster from my hand, all monsters you own are wiped off the field!"

A massive beam of light shot from the Mirror, and soared forward, striking the Legendary Fiend! The Fiend erupted into flames, screaming in pure agony, and exploded into pixels.

Tony took a nervous step backwards, growling a little. THIS…Was going to hurt.

Suddenly, Zolga and Dunames Dark Witch rose up, still weakened but stood strong.

"Dunames Dark Witch, Attack him directly with angelic blaster!" Claire shouted aloud, pointing a finger forward.

Dunames Dark Witch armed her hand and grabbed what appeared to be a bow made up of pure energy. An arrow of energy soon followed, and it flew forward, skewering Tony and making him gasp.

"Zolga, Attack him directly with Dark Wind Slice!"

Zolga flew into the air and flew just above Tony so the boy was incased in its cloak, and by the screams that emitted from the clothing it sounded as if he was being cut up quite a bit.

"Archlord Zerato, attack him too!"

Archlord Zerato rose up his sword and flew with such speed, the sound of an echoing sonic boom could be heard. The next thing Tony knew, the giant Angel was behind him, and he had a large cut in his chest. He gasped aloud and fell to his knees, gripping his chest in pain.

**(Claire: 5,100) ------- (Tony: 1,150)**

"And with that…" Claire said with a smirk, "I…huh?"

She seemed to notice the gigantic bonfire of energy on his side of the field, right in front of him.

"Heh, I was hoping you would do that…just needed you to waste those attacks so I can bring out someone REALLY worth summoning…"

From the energy appeared a hulking man. He looked human like, almost, with leather armor and a mask over his face with a pair of massive blades over his wrists. On his back was a sword – A Zanbatô. (2,700/2,500)

"Whoa!" Roland shouted, jumping up and making himself known since forever. "It seems as if Tony's just turned the tables, summoning a monster that almost matches Claire's Archlord Zerato!"

"How did you summon something that strong? There was nothing on the field!" Claire exclaimed.

"That's the whole point!" Tony said with a laugh. "See, my Monster, Messenger of Ha Des – Gors--"

The fiend Snarled at his name, picking up the massive sword with ease

"--has a Special Ability. When I'm directly attacked, I can Special Summon him from my hand, and I have to thank that Morphing Jar of yours, I never would have gotten him otherwise!"

Another bulb of energy appeared on his side of the field.

"And what's better, depending on the type of damage I take, something good happens. Since I took Battle Damage, I get to Special Summon a Token, Messenger of Ha Des – Kaien."

The bulb of light morphed into a human sized female angel, holding up her own sword and stared at Claire.

"And her Attack and Defense Score is the same as the amount of damage I just took."

(2,800/2,800)

"Eh…that's bad…" Claire said, scowling down at the one card in her hand. "I end my turn…"

"Then I'll go ahead and draw!" Tony shouted out, drawing his card and looked at it. "Heh…gotta say…this deck hasn't failed me yet, that's for sure…"

"Since I seriously doubt you care, I may as well tell you…"

_I didn't ask, but okay…_Claire asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"See, I'm one of the most feared people in my hometown because my old man was the leader of a massively known mafia." He chuckled, "Whatever I wanted I got, cause lord knows no one wanted to mess with the son of the mafia leader.

"Only one who seemed to disagree was my mom, saying it was horrible how we terrified the people into giving us what we want. After he knocked someone off the face of the planet did she leave him, no matter how much he begged and pleaded. Completely broke my dad's heart.

"If anything, he became even more cold hearted. Didn't care if anyone even compiled to his wishes, if they made him mad enough he would kill them. Heh…guess he didn't exactly fit the perfect father roll.

"Funny thing is, a lot of people weren't that scared of him, and a rival mafia gunned him down, his last words stating I was the next one to lead the entire mafia scene…but I didn't want to. After that, I didn't wanna go anywhere near a mafia…not after what happened to my father.

"Mafia abandoned me; mom still didn't want anything to do with me, so I was on my own. I made a name for myself in the Streets of New York, and made myself a Deck that struck fear into the hearts of all of my opponents! My fiend deck…"

He smiled wickedly.

"My family…" and he laughed.

"Huh…" Falco mumbled, "Woulda pegged him as the kind of kid who would join…guess he was just a coward…"

"It's there's anything Tony isn't…" Tony said with a snarl, looking at his card. "It's a coward! I play the Spell card Stop Attack! This card's a bit old school, but it does the trick on more than one occasion!"

Zerato was surrounded by a blue energy, and he was forced to his knees.

"Where he's a lot easier to pick off! Kaien, attack her Archlord Zerato!"

Kaien leapt forward and sliced the giant angel into twain.

"Gors, attack her Dunames Dark Witch!"

Gors lifted up his large sword and blasted forward, digging the tip into her skull and destroying her.

"Now then, I simply set a card facedown and end my turn…"

A facedown appeared beside the odd combination of Fairy and Fiend.

Claire drew her card quickly and gulped. "I switch Zolga to Defense Mode, set a monster in defense and end my turn…"

Zolga kneeled down once more, and a defense mode monster appeared just beside it.

"And turn my move over to you…"

"Bout time…" he said with a smirk and drew his card. "Ah…now you're gonna meet my real kill card! If you though Maju Garzett was tough, wait till you meet his older brother! I offer Kaien as a sacrifice…"

Kaien vanished into pixels of light, and a dark form began to emerge.

"And summon forth my best monster, arise, Great Maju Garzett!"

The monster was very strong looking, and very frightening. Unlike Maju Garzett, this form seemed to contain a thick, flesh colored armor around its body, a much more regal look to it's body, and larger muscles.

"And this things attack is double the monster I sacrificed to summon it, so get ready to feel some pain!"

(5,600/0)

"Great Maju Garzett, attack her Zolga with Sludge mire!"

Maju Garzett roared and threw its head forward, shooting out a thick sludge that melted the cloak on contact.

"Gors, attack her defense!"

Gors leapt forward and sliced the defense in half, a Skelengal appearing, squeaked and shattered.

"Which means I get to draw a card…" Claire drew her card, and her eyes lit up.

"Like it matters…" Tony laughed. "I end my turn, so now you're finished! No matter who you summon, it'll never be strong enough to keep my monsters at bay! You've lot!"

"Draw!" Claire shouted, drawing her card quickly and stared at it. "I activate…Monster Reborn!"

The holy symbol appeared on her side of the field, and with it, Airknight Parshath.

Tony laughed. "You've lost it! That thing can't even hurt Gors, let alone Maju Garzett!"

"Yeah, I know," Claire said with a wicked smirk, "But then again, there's always the guy who TAUGHT Airknight everything he knows, a monster that him everything he knows! I offer my Airknight Parshath to summon his master, Neo-Parshath, the Sky Paladin!"

Airknight Parshath was shrouded in more white light, and slowly his form began to grow and mutate. When the result was done, it was majestic. He had large wings that didn't seem attached to his body, a sword and a massive shield. It's eyes were beams of light and it merely glared at Tony, power emanating from it's entire body. (2,300/2,000)

"Wow, his teacher is a whole 400 Points stronger…" Tony said, shaking his head. "Why don't you just admit defeat?"

"Because I haven't been defeated. See, my Neo Parshath has a very powerful ability…see, he gains Attack Points equal to the difference between our Life Points!"

Tony paled. "WHAT!?"

The Neo Parshath began to glow powerfully, and its attack erupted to 6,250!

Tony took a step back, his breathing labored…

"Now! Attack Gors, and finish him off!"

Neo Parshath began to glow brightly, and a massive beam of light shot out and hit the general. The monster roared and threw his head back, exploding into dark pixels.

**(Claire: 5,100) ------- (Tony: 0)**

"The winner! Claire Upward!"

"ALL RIGHT CLAIRE!" her entire cheering section cried out, pumping all of their fists into the air.

"Thanks guys!" Claire giggled as she walked over to her friends, and was scooped into the arms of her boyfriend.

"You did amazingly baby," he said with a grin.

"Awww, thanks," she giggled, kissing his cheek sweetly.

While the four friends congratulated, Tony began to walk off…

"Hey! Where do you think YOU'RE going?" Claire suddenly called out.

Tony froze.

"I believe you owe me a little something like…oh…I don't know…your deck?" she smirked.

Tony's right hand twitched. "You'll get my deck when I drop---"

He froze as he saw Kaiba approaching him.

"I suggest you abide to the wishes you brought to this duel," he said calmly, yet darkly, "because if you don't, I will make sure very bad things happen to you…" he smirked.

Tony's eyes narrowed, then he took out his card and threw it forward, watching the cards scatter around the small party. Without another word he ran out.

"There we are." Claire giggled, picking up all of the cards and combining them into a single deck again. "This shoujld fetch a pretty penny somewhere…"

"There will be a short intermission! Five minute breaks all around!" Roland announced.

"Ahhh…break. Wonderful word," Marie giggled.

"Come on, I'm dying of starvation…hot dogs sound good," Michael said, walking off with his friends.

"I can't believe that bitch beat me…" Tony mumbled as he walked down a corridor, angrily, "No one gets away with beating me…"

"And I couldn't agree more…" A voice from behind him said.

Tony wheeled around, and was met with the appearance of Philip.

"Heh…seems as if you harbor some anger…I wish to help with that…" and he walked forward…

His eyes glowing a bright red…

**Hellfire Flame**  
**Type**: Spell  
**Image**: A fiend in the midst of powerful Flames  
**Effect**: You may only activate this card when a Field Spell is face-up on the field and you have at least one Fiend-Type Monster face-up on the field. Destroy the current Field Spell, inflict 1,000 points of direct damage to each player's Life Points, and deduct 1,000 points from the ATK of all face-up Monsters except Fiend-Type Monsters.

_Note: "Hellfire Flame" was first used by Yugi in the Manga "Yu-Gi-Oh R" issue "Dweller of the Deep Darkness!" all creative credit goes to the writers of that issue._

And two rounds down from this tournament! Next time we tune in, one of your old favorites is gonna duel: Joey! He's going against the red head from Louisiana, can our Blonde Hero get lucky enough to face this new duelist? Find out next time in "Overheat! Enter the Nuclear Duelist!"


	5. Overheat! Enter the Nuclear Duelist!

Disclaimer: MichaelDj54 does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! In any way, shape or form, nor does he tend to make money from this.  
Michael: Okay dude, seriously, they get it now…(Rubs his eyes)

**888888888888888888888888888888888888**

Overheat! Enter the Nuclear Duelist!

**888888888888888888888888888888888888**

"So what exactly do you plan to do with an entire deck of fiends…last I checked, those weren't exactly you're style," Claire's boyfriend chuckled, looking at the cards from over her shoulder.

"Are you kidding? Despite being a psychopath, Tony actually had some good cards in here. I could sell these for a few cards I've been looking for!" Claire said with a smile.

"Yeah…" Came a muffled voice off to the side, Falco currently eating a hot dog, "I mean…Ha Des alone is one of the rarest fiends in the game," He gulped down his food, "Imagine what you could get for that!"

"I'll do it after this tournament…" she said after a second, then pocketed the deck and shrugged.

"So, let's recap," Marie said, sitting back down, "I won one, Claire won one…"

"Me and Falco have yet to duel…" Michael told her with a shrug.

"Yeah, that's all we know…" Claire said with a shrug, "But I can't wait to see who'll duel next!"

"I hope it's me…" Michael and Falco said at the same time. Both looked over at each other, then grinned and laughed.

A loud chime could be heard from outside the arena.

"Would all the duelists please return?" Roland's voice echoed out from the speakers, "We're now going to select the next duelists for the match ups."

The small league of duelists, excluding Philip, Tony and Christine, walked over to the stage, all looking anxious, save for Claire and Marie who had all ready duels.

"The next round shall begin; let us pick the next duelists!"

The two screens began to light up, flipping from picture to picture with the remaining duelists.

Eventually, both pictures landed on someone: Joey, and the boy known as Franklin.

"Aw yeah! Dat's what I'm talkin' about!" Joey shouted happily, pumping a fist into the air.

"Heh, good thing too," Seto said smugly, "Now they can kick you out of the tournament early…"

Joey only glared at Kaiba from the corner of his eyes. "Yeah, dat's really funny Kaiba…"

"I thought so myself…" he chuckled.

"The contestant will have a few moments before the start of the match to adjust their decks accordingly. You have until then, I will call you when the time comes."

And so he walked off.

"So dad, you're dueling?" Falco asked his father.

"Damn right I am!" Joey said proudly, shuffling his deck quickly, "Now watch your ol' man sport, I'll show ya how the game is REALLY played!"

"This isn't gold fish just so you know, Wheeler…" Seto said from the back, "if you lose this round, you're never invited to another one of my tournaments as long as I'm in charge of Kaiba corp.…"

"Could your head be any bigger Kaiba?" Joey retaliated, growling at him from over his shoulder.

"Big head for a big brain, Wheeler," The president of Kaiba Corporation retaliated, smirking, "Shame I can't say the same for you. Or does it sound like a BB gun in a canteen when YOU shake your head?"

"Oh you are so asking for it!" Joey snarled, turning to face him.

"Joey, calm down!" Yugi begged, walking over to his best friend.

"Yeah, listen to your master, mutt. Lord knows how many times he's saved your neck and then some…"

"That's enough Kaiba," Yugi said, glaring at him with a very Yami-esque glare.

Kaiba and Yugi merely kept the glares between them, then scoffed and walked off.

"Lousy, no good Kaiba…" Joey sighed, "I'll show him! I'm no mutt!"

"I know you're no mutt, Joey," Yugi said with a smile.

"Me too!" Falco acknowledged.

"Attention! Will the duelists please approach the dueling arena to conduct the duel!" Roland called out.

"And I'm gonna prove it…"

Joey got up, and walked out.

**888888888888888888888888888888888888**

"Ladies and gentlemen, duelists of all ages, we now reach the third round of the Kaiba Land Grand Prix!" Kaiba this time shouted out, much to the cheers of everyone in the audience.

"Our first opponent, a duelist that hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Franklin Miraru!"

Franklin, the young, red haired boy walked out onto the field, waving to the somewhat cheering audience.

"And next, but certainly least, someone I didn't even expect to invite, but against my own wishes…"

"JUST SAY DA' NAME KAIBA!" Joey screamed angrily.

"Joey Wheeler!" Kaiba said with a smirk.

And Joey walked out into the middle of the stage, his eyes narrowing forward, but the playful, seemingly Copy Written smirk on his face as he faced opposite of Franklin.

"Now, all I want is a good duel…but with Wheeler, that might be a bit difficult…Begin!"

"LET'S DUEL!"

**(Joey: 8,000) -- (Franklin: 8,000)**

"Now 'den, if you don't mind, I think I'll go first," Joey said, drawing his opening hand.

"By all means!" Franklin said, with somewhat of an accent.

Joey drew his sixth card and looked at his hand. _Aw yeah…_

"For this turn, I'm gonna summon Axe Raider in Attack Mode!"

A guttural war cry could be heard across the arena, and in front of him a warrior, with orange and brown armor and a large axe appeared, deep tan skin and a vicious look in his eyes. (1,700/1,150)

"Then, one more facedown's gonna end my turn."

"Well, first round and dad's all ready got a good beat stick out…gonna take something tough to beat his Axe Raider, even tougher if that facedown is what I think it is…" Falco explained.

_He's right…_Joey thought as Franklin drew his card, _Heh, Kunai with Chain'll keep me safe next turn, and I'll have a clear shot o' his Life Points…_

Looking at his new card, Franklin smirked up at the Legendary Duelist. "Heh, must think I'm an idiot if you think I'm gonna fall for your Kunai with Chain/Axe Raider Combo…"

Joey blinked.

"So I'm gonna clear the field a bit! I play…Blaze Accelerator!"

A little bonfire appeared behind him, and a large cannon on a tripod appeared. It clicked aloud as it loaded itself.

Claire's eyes opened. "Oh boy…"

"Now then, this is one of my strongest cards for a good reason too! See, by discarding a low attack point Fire Monster from my hand…"

He held up a card: Volcanic Shell.

"I'm allowed to destroy one monster on your side of the field!"

Another click came from the gun behind him and a shot rang out like a gun. Something hit the Warrior in the chest, and it exploded into pixels.

Joey took a step back, gulping.

"Now, don't you worry, I can't attack this turn if I used Blaze Accelerator…but that doesn't mean I can't hurt ya in other ways! I summon Volcanic Slicer!"

Another odd monster appeared just in front of him, this one like a large raptor completely covered in a thick armor. (1,800/1,200)

"See, while I can't attack, I can still deal you damage each turn with him, 500 Points to be precise!"

The raptor opened its mouth and let out a shriek, a large fireball launching out and hitting Joey in the chest. He screamed a bit and fell over.

**(Joey: 7,500) -- (Franklin: 8,000)**

"Ow…darn it, now I know how Mai feels wheneva' she tries cooking…" Joey mumbled standing up and groaning a bit.

"Heh, that all ya got?" Franklin called out, sliding a card into his disk, and a facedown appeared right behind the Volcanic Slicer. "I end my turn!"

"Not a chance!" Joey shouted, drawing his card. "And here's a good little example! If you like Fire monsters so much, let's see how you like when I do the same thing! I summon Blue Flame Swordsman, in Attack Mode!"

A bonfire of blue flames could be seen on his side of the field, and from it stepped a familiar looking monster. It looked like his patent pending Flame Swordsman, only his arm and cape were blue and purple, rather than red and orange. (1,800/1,600)

"Blue Flame Swords, slice n' dice his Slicer with Blue Flame Choppa!"

The Blue Flame Swordsman let out a cry and leapt into the air. His sword burst into blue flames…

"But they'll destroy each other!" Cried Marie.

"That's the point!"

As the swordsman slammed his blue blade into the torso of the metallic dinosaur, the two of them exploded, rendering both players defenseless.

"Ha! I'm sorry, but even that was a stupid move, even for you! You just destroyed your own monster, and I'll be able to summon someone better next turn!"

"Check again, dead eye!" Joey said with his smirk, a hand forward, "When my Blue Flame Swordsman bites the big one, I'm allowed to Special summon his Brotha from my fusion deck: The Flame Swordsman!"

In another bonfire, the original swordsman appeared with a loud yell, swinging his sword around dangerously. (1,800/1,600)

"Now who's defenseless? Flame Swordsman, attack him directly!"

"Oh no you don't, I activate Fire Wall!" Franklin shouted as the swordsman was en route to his life points.

The Trap card lifted up and a wall of fire flew up, making the Flame Swordsman fly backwards as a result of the backlash.

"See, this here is one of my best cards! By removing a fire monster in my Graveyard from play, I can negate a direct attack! As long as I have Fire monsters in my Graveyard, I'm untouchable!"

_Yeah, for the moment anyway…_Joey thought as he looked at his hand. He ended his turn with the wave of his hand.

"Then I'm gonna go ahead and draw!" Franklin exclaimed as he drew his card and pointed it at him. "Now don't worry a strong card like Fire Wall has a cost, 500 Points a turn to be precise, so I'll be keeping it this turn!"

He looked at his hand and smirked a little bit. Adding that card to the two he all ready hand, he exclaimed, "I activate my Volcanic Shell's effect! When it's in the graveyard, I can pay 500 Life Points to add another one from my deck to my hand!"

Another one of his cards slid out, which he snagged and held it up for Joey to see. He smirked a little bit. "And guess who I'm using THIS round on?"

The Blaze Accelerator whirled to life and shot off another round. It struck the Flame Swordsman, and blew him apart.

"Now, to complete my turn, I summon Fire Trooper!"

There was an echoing cackle across the field as another bonfire of fire appeared on his side of the field. The monster that had arrived certaintly looked off, it had a purple robe and four spikes sticking out of it's neck, and the most notable feature was the fact it's head and hands were on fire. (1,000/1,000)

"And now, by offering him as a tribute, I'm allowed to deal you 1,000 Points of Damage, so let's see if you like things Spicy, Wheeler!"

Fire Trooper cackled as his head and hands flame went ablaze even more so and he dashed forward. Joey screamed bloody murder as the monster flew through his body, and he fell to the ground with a groan.

"Lucky…shot…"

**(Joey: 6,500) -- (Franklin: 7,000)**

"Now then…" Franklin said with a chuckle. "I think I've done enough damage this turn…go ahead mate!"

"'Bout time…" Joey grunted as he drew his card. His eyes trailed over his cards, and he gave his opponent the ol' Wheeler Grin.

"Okay…you wanna play rough? I'ma summon my Swordsman of Landstar, in attack mode!"

In front of him, the small, cute alien type monster appeared. He smiled sweetly as he lifted up his sword and shield, which bore his face on it. (500/1,200)

"Then, I'll throw down these two cards and give it a break."

Two facedown's appeared right behind the Swordsman of Landstar, who just stood there, smiling blissfully.

Franklin drew his card and pointed it forward again. "Okay, it could come in handy, so I'll pay the upkeep on my Fire Wall…"

He looked at his new card and showed it to Joey: Pot of Greed.

"I'm sure even YOU know what this does…" Franklin said with a smirk, discarding the card and drawing two more cards from his deck. His eyes lit up evilly.

"Okay! I play Monster Reborn, another old favorite, to bring back my Fire Trooper!"

The symbol appeared on the field, and along with it the fiery little imp.

"Then, before you think I'm gonna do something as boring as sacrificing him right here and now, you have another thing coming! I chain his summoning with Inferno Reckless Summon!"

Another spell card appeared on the field, and two more bonfires appeared on the field.

"Whenever I special Summon a monster with 1,500 Attack Points or Less, I'm allowed to Special Summon as many copies of the card from my hand, deck or Graveyard! Of course, you can have the same privilege if you wish…"

"Eh…I'm gonna pass…" Joey said, scratching his cheek as his Swordsman still stood there.

"Then I'll go ahead and special summon two more Fire Troopers!"

Beside the original appeared two other perfect copies of the other one, all of them smirking with wicked flaming grins. (1,000/1,000 X 3)

"Heh, sorry buddy, I gotta stop ya there! Activate trap!"

His facedown flipped up.

"Celebration of Creation! This works very simply, so listen up. When you Special Summon a monster…your turn ends. Short, sweet, to the point."

"But…wait…" Franklin had NOT been expecting that…

**(Joey: 6,500) -- (Franklin: 6,500)**

"Now, now!" Joey said as he drew his card. "No use complaining, especially if my card can't let you."

He smirked as his saw and eyed his new card.

"Aw yeah! Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! I sacrifice my Swordsman of Landstar to summon…aw yeah…Jinzo!"

The Swordsman vanished into pixilated globs of light and in their place was the large, humming machine that was Jinzo. It groaned and crossed it's arms, staring at Franklin, who took a step back as he gazed upon one of Joey's best monsters. (2,400/1,500)

"Oh boy…" Franklin said after gulping in fright.

"Attack one of his Fire Troopers!" Joey shouted, his energy now renewed and pointing a finger forward. "Cybernetic Shock!"

Jinzo raised his hands and began to form the common ball of dark energy that it normally made and whipped it forward, slamming it into the Fire Trooper in the middle. The charred pieces collided with Franklin, and he groaned.

**(Joey: 6,500) -- (Franklin: 5,100)**

"I think I'll take a break for now…" Joey said with a smirk at him. "Go ahead…take your best shot."

"My best shot, huh…?" Franklin asked as he drew a card and looked at it. "I don't know why…but I may as well pay for Firewall…Never know after all…" he smirked.

**(Joey: 6,500) -- (Franklin: 4,600)**

"Hm…For this turn, I'll just switch my Fire Troopers to Defense mode…and play the Spell card, Soul of Fire!"

As the two monsters curled up on themselves, the spell appeared between them.

"I have to remove one Fire Monster in my deck from play…" Franklin said as another card shot out into his hand. "And deal you half it's Attack Points as Damage…"

The titanic figure of a monster known as Infernal Flame Emperor Appeared and roared out loud. It thrusted a fist forward, which collided with Joey, making him grunt and grit his teeth.

**(Joey: 5,150) -- (Franklin: 4,600)**

"Look at the bright side, Wheeler…" Franklin said with a smirk, "Now you're allowed to draw a card…"

With a bit of renewed hope, Joey did just that.

"But I think I'll call that a turn…so go ahead."

Joey drew a card and stared at it. _Panther Warrior…sorry buddy, can't use ya right now!_

"Jinzo, let's go two for two! Cybernetic Shock on another Fire Trooper!"

Once more, the energy orb appeared in Jinzo's hand, and it shot out another blast at the left Fire Trooper. It erupted into flames without much else.

"That's all for this turn!"

"Good! I Draw then!" Franklin drew his card and smirked a bit. "And this is just perfect! First of all, I'll stop paying the fee to keep Firewall…it's just becoming a nuisance anyway."

Firewall exploded into bits and pieces. He held up a card for him to see, Volcanic Rat.

"You think a Rodent can beat my Jinzo?" Joey snickered.

"No, but I DO think my Blaze Accelerator can!" Franklin discarded the card, and another whirl came from the gun.

Joey paled as another flaming bullet launched out and cleaved through Jinzo. The android recoiled in horror before exploding into flames.

"Now, I'm going to offer my final Fire Trooper for one of my heavy hitters, also known as Volcanic Hammerer!"

The final Fire Trooper burst into flames and from the ground erupted another dinosaur like beast. It had golden armor around its body, especially around the skull that seemed the most like a Dinosaur. The parts of the body that could be seen seemed to be made up of Molten Rock. The monster oared out and slammed a foot on the ground, signaling it was ready to crack some skulls.

"Now, since I can't attack this turn, I'll simply have to use his effect." Franklin said with a bored shrug. "For every Volcanic monster in my graveyard, I'm allowed to deal you 200 Points of Damage! And I count three!"

The Dinosaur roared and launched a fireball from it's mouth and hit Joey, making him cringe in pain and take a step back.

"Now then…I think that can end my turn," he said with a smirk.

**(Joey: 4,550) -- (Franklin: 4,600)**

Joey drew his card shakily and stared at it. He slid it in with a moan, saying, "I'm not letting you get a shot at me…I activate…Scapegoat!"

As he said this, four little puffs of smoke could be seen on his side of the field, and in their place appeared the blissful little multicolored sheep. They merely hung there in a blissful hover, staring at Franklin. (0/0 X 4)

"And I guess that's all I can do…" he said, gritting his teeth.

"Come on dad!" Falco exclaimed, leaning over the balcony to cheer on his father. "Show him what happens when you mess with a Wheeler!"

"HA! If this is what I get for Messing with a Wheeler, I should mess with you lot a lot more often!"

He drew his card.

"And now that I have one of my most dangerous Spell cards in my hand, maybe I'll use it now! I give up my common Blaze Accelerator to play my Tri-Blaze Accelerator!"

The Blaze Accelerator shattered into bits and in its place was an impressive machine, made of stainless steel on a tripod and three large cannons on the back.

"Now, the difference with this machine? I can discard ANY Fire Monster I want from my hand, and whenever I do so, you lose 500 Life Points! But I think I'll discard a very special monster from my hand…"

He held up another card and showed it to him. It was a monster called Volcanic Scatter Shot.

"Now, by discarding this monster, and two others from my deck…"

Two more cards slid out of his deck and he held them up to show two more Volcanic Scatter shots.

He slid all three cards into his graveyard, and the tri-blaze Accelerator began to shake violently…

Finally, it shot something out that immediately blew the air ablaze with fire, and the next thing Joey knew his Scapegoat tokens had been incinerated into ash.

"And for every Volcanic Scatter Shot I just discarded, you lose 500 Points apiece, so you lose a total of 2,000 Life Points!

Joey screamed loudly as he was emoted into flames, falling to his knees with smoke willowing off his body and into the air.

"Okay…now I really know how a Bar-be-cue feels…"

**(Joey: 2,550) -- (Franklin: 4,600)**

"Yeah, I'll bet." Franklin said with a smirk. "I'll end my turn and throw it over to you."

_Okay…this could honestly be going better…_Joey thought as he looked at his deck. _Either I do something soon…or I'm gonna be roasted!_

**888888888888888888888888888888888888**

Christine could also have been doing better.

Still sore and bitter from her defeat by Marie, she walked down the hallways with a bit of a sullen step to her walk.

"I can't believe it…my Super Vehicroid…beat by a freaking ice princess…"

She leaned against the wall near her.

"How am I gonna explain THIS to my family…hell, I told them I was gonna make something or myself…I couldn't even make it past the first round!"

She groaned and hit the side of her head against the wall with a sigh.

"What else could POSSIBLY go wrong…?"

That was when the lights began to flicker above her…

All went black for a few minutes, and then the lights came back on, just the one above her though. A dark chuckle pierced the silence.

"OH…so many things my dear…" Came a laugh as a figure stepped out of the darkness behind her.

Tony.

"Oh goody…and you just proved it." Christine rolled her eyes and turned to face him. "What do you—"

She blinked. He seemed paler, his hair a lighter shade, almost ashy grey and his eyes were glowing with an unnatural red tint…

"Heh…I've come to make a proposition…"

"Like what?" She seemed uneasy…

"Simple. We duel. If you win, I'll have someone in the higher power in this tournament give you a second chance…"

She blinked. Could he do that?

"And what happens if you win?" Christine asked.

"Oh…You'll see. So…you in?" asked Tony with a grin.

"Bring it on!" Christine said with a grin, activating her duel disk…

Tony did the same, and his eyes flashed a dangerous shade of red…

**888888888888888888888888888888888888**

"Draw!" Joey screamed as he snatched up the top card of his deck. His eyes traveled over his hand of five cards and grinned.

"I summon Gearfried, the Iron Knight in Attack Mode!"

With a loud bellowing cry, the warrior made of pitch black armor appeared, his sword and shield held high as he prepared to enter into battle.

"And before you mention he's too weak, let me just stop ya right there! Because from my hand, I activate the Spell card, Star Blaster!"

The spell card appeared on the field, and Gearfried Vanished. In his place appeared a small imp that was half red and half black.

"Now, my little guy right there is gonna roll a die, and whatever number he rolls, I add it to Gearfried's Level, then I get to Special Summon a monster of that combined level! So let's see if my famous luck can hold out…"

The imp gave out a cackling laugh and threw his dice. It bounced once…twice….three times….and finally landed on a four.

"Awesome!" Joey said with a grin, pumping a fist. "That means I can Special Summon a monster that has eight stars in my hand! So I was thinking, good ol' Gilford the Lightning!"

He slapped a card onto his Duel disk, and a massive bolt of lightning struck his side of the field. With a roar, a monster that Michael recognized instantly appeared. Bulging muscles, a large sword, long orange cape, a mask over his rugged features, he crashed to the ground in front of Joey. (2,800/1,400)

Franklin took a step back, while everyone else cheered.

"All right! The wheeler luck still holds strong!" Falco said with a grin, cheering for his father.

Yugi could only smile and cross his arms, nodding a bit. "Never doubted him for a second…"

"Speak for yourself…" Kaiba said with a bit of a glare at Joey. He hated to admit it, but he was actually doing pretty good…

"Gilford, attack Volcanic Hammerer with Lightning Slash!" Joey commanded, pointing a hand at the bipedal dinosaur.

Gilford flew into the air, his sword held high as he slammed it into the dinosaur, causing it to roar, back away and explode into pixels. Franklin cringed.

**(Joey: 2,550) -- (Franklin: 4,200)**

"Heh, that's gonna end my turn, Frankie! Let's see what else ya got! Course unless you summon something good soon, this is as good as mine!" Joey said with a grin.

Franklin drew his card, making his hand a total of one card. He stared at it, and smirked.

"Oh, trust me, I got something all right…and it's gonna be just what I need to destroy that Gilford of yours." He told him with a chuckle.

Joey scratched the side of his face, confused.

"But how exactly are you gonna summon it? I mean…if you need a monster that strong, yer gonna need Monsters which…you seem to be missing…all I see is that big cannon thing…" noted Joey.

"That's all I need! I sacrifice my Tri-Blaze Accelerator…to summon my greatest monster! Volcanic Doomfire!"

The Tri-Blaze Accelerator exploded into flaming parts and in their place appeared a titanic monster. It was somewhat reptilian with a long mane of burning fire, somewhat skeletal with a long tail made of hardened lava behind him whipped around. It roared loudly. (3,000/1,800)

"Oh boy…" Joey mumbled, blinking several times up at the massive monster before him.

"Volcanic Doomfire, attack Gilford the Lightning with Volcanic Lava!" Franklin ordered.

The Volcanic Doomfire roared and released a billowing blast of lava from its mouth, striking Gilford and sending it shattering into the air.

**(Joey: 2,350) -- (Franklin: 4,200)**

"Okay…now we're back to square one…" Falco said, a bit disappointed now.

"Don't count your dad out yet, Falco. He might have a plan…" Yugi assured with a nod.

"Draw…" Joey said with a groan as he looked at his simple hand of three cards. He could use something here…hopefully…

"Okay…I set these two cards facedown…"

Two facedowns appeared in front of him.

"And take a break for now…"

"What is he doing?" Michael asked in surprise. "He just left himself wide open to an attack by that thing!"

"Don't worry guys," Yugi said, his violet eyes narrowing at Joey's calm form. "If I know Joey, he's got a plan…"

"Draw!" Franklin drew his card.

"Volcanic Doomfire, Attack him directly!"

Volcanic Doomfire opened it's maw…

"Activate facedown, Take One Chance! When I play this, I have to Select a card in my graveyard and activate it right here and now!"

A card flew out of his graveyard…everyone held their breaths…

Suddenly, his luck paid off once more. In four puffs of smoke, four Scapegoat Tokens appeared! (0/0 X 4)

"Yes!" Falco exclaimed, pumping a fist. "Way to go dad, you're safe for a few more turns!"

The plowing surge of lava crashed into the pink Scapegoat, and once that was over, the other three Scapegoat Tokens had been wiped clean by the resulting attack.

"…Or…Not…" Falco said stupidly.

"What happened?!" Joey exclaimed in horror, noticing his field was bare…once more.

Franklin smirked darkly. "Simple dude. When Volcanic Doomfire attacks and destroys a monster on your side of the field, all monsters explode with it! And when that happens, you lose another 500 Life Points for each one! If you can't stand the heat…"

He pointed a finger at him…

"…Stay off the dueling field!"

Joey roared loudly as another billowing fire appeared around his body, lifting his body an inch off the ground and deposited it back on the ground, on his knees.

"Oh…" he moaned.

**(Joey: 850) -- (Franklin: 4,200)**

"Looks like the last turn Mate." Franklin said with a crossing of his arms, a grin on his face. "Got any other moves you'd like to make?"

Joey shakily drew his card and looked at it. "I play…Pot of Greed!" he shouted.

The chuckling gourd appeared in front of him, chuckled, and shattered as Joey drew his two cards.

"Okay…" He panted. "I set one card facedown…and summon a monster in defense mode…" he groaned a bit. "I'll call it a turn…"

"Then let this be the final turn!" Franklin shouted, drawing his card and grinned.

"Volcanic Doomfire, try again!"

The Volcanic monster roared in frusteration and slammed a foot onto the ground, roaring loudly. It let loose another stream of lava.

"Activate Compensation Mediation!"

Joey's facedown card flipped up, and everything went dark around them.

"This works really simply! See, first, you select two spells or traps from your Graveyard! So I suggest you pick some good ones!"

Franklin stared at him for a second, and looked at his Graveyard. Blaze Accelerator and Firewall slid out.

"Now, they're gonna go facedown with my Trap Card, and it's all a matter of luck!" Two more facedown's appeared beside the original. "Now, you have to pick one! If it's my trap card, the attack is negated. If it's one of yours, the attack goes through. Regardless, a cards going back on top of your deck, so choose wisely!"

The three facedown's shuffled themselves, and were put back into place.

Franklin stared at the cards intently, and gulped a little bit. "Eh…I pick…the right one." he said, pointing to the card in question.

Everyone held their breaths…and it was Compensation Mediation!

"Yes!" Joey exclaimed happily with a grin on his face, while all the spectators let loose the breath they had been holding in.

"Fine! So I can't attack, I also happen to know I get those cards back on top of my deck!"

He took the cards and slid them into his deck.

"So next turn, I'll be able to slam you around for the hell of it!" Franklin shouted.

"Yeah, well let's see if I can keep my luck going!" Joey shouted, waving another hand to his second, untouched facedown. "I activate one of my favorite cards….Gamble!"

His trap card flipped up, and Falco and Yugi simultaneously took a gasping breath.

"He's taking a BIG risk…" Yugi said with a gulp.

"If he messes this up, his next turn is skipped…" Falco finished.

"So come on, lady luck! Show me some love! Heads!" he shouted as he grabbed the coin that had appeared in his hand as per the effect of the trap. He flipped it…

All people held their breaths again…

It landed in his hand, and he slammed it down…

Heads!

"BOOYEAH!" He cried out happily. "Now that means I can draw cards from my deck until I'm holding five!"

He snatched four cards off his deck and stared at him. He grinned widely.

"Eh…" Franklin did NOT like that grin…"I…End my turn…"

"Then I draw!" Joey shouted, drawing his card quickly and grinned evilly. "Okay! Now…I flip up my facedown, Alligator's Sword!"

In front of him, a Bipedal alligator with thin, cloth like armor and a large sword in front of him appeared, grinning a grin Franklin didn't like. (1,500/1,200)

"And then, I'm gonna bring out a new monster that I rarely ever got to use! Activate polymerization!"

The Spell card appeared on the field, and he held up two cards from his hand, flipping them around: Red Eyes Black Dragon and a monster called King of the Swamp.

"Now, this little guy in my hand is a good monster, one that lets me replace him for another Fusion Material monster when I fuse a few monsters! So now, I fuse Red Eyes and my King…"

The two monsters appeared on the field: One being a slimy, murky head just floating there, the other was Joey's famed Red Eyes Black Dragon.

"Now, I fuse my main guy and my little guy, and summon the Black Skull Dragon!"

The monster that appeared to be the Red Eyes Black Dragon, only it seemed several times more bulkier and bonier, as if he were to burst any second now with bones. It did however seemed a bit reminiscent of Yugi's Summoned Skull. (3,200/2,500)

Franklin gasped loudly.

"And I'm not done! Activate the card from my hand…Graceful Dice!"

A small, cute little cherub appeared on his side of the field, holding up a blue die.

"I'm sure anyone who's seen this card knows what it does! Let it roll, little guy!"

The small fairy nodded and chucked the tiny die. It bounced once…twice…three times…and landed on a five!

The Alligators Sword and Black Skull Dragon began to glow with a blue light, and the scores changed to (2,000/1,700) and (3,700/3,000), respectively.

"Black Skull Dragon, show him how we really do it with Fireball Barrage!" Joey screamed, pointing a hand forward.

The Dragon roared and shot out three large fireballs from its gaping maw, all three of which that struck the Volcanic Doomfire. The monster roared and shattered into pixels.

"Alligators Sword, get him directly! Alligator Sword Slice!" Joey announced.

The Alligators Sword ran forward and slammed his sword into the boys torso, making him gasp aloud and fall back onto his backside.

"I…still have life points…' he gasped, his eyes wide. "And…I'll draw something…to make you pay!"

"Yeah…no, you won't." Joey smirked. "Activate another card from my hand…De-Fusion!"

Franklin's eyes widened quite a bit as the Black Skull Dragon began to glow and split into two parts, most notably of the two was the Red Eyes Black Dragon! (2,400/2,000)

"Now my main man!" Joey shouted over the Red Eyes screech, "Show him what happens when you mess with a Wheeler with Inferno Fire Blast!"

The Dragon roared and shot a smaller fireball compared to the Black Skull Dragons and slammed into Franklin.

Joey smirked and slid a hand into his pocket, pointing at Franklin.

"Use your own advice kid…if it gets too hot…

"Stay out of the dueling field!"

**(Joey: 850) -- (Franklin: 0)**

"All right Joey!" Yugi cried as he raced to his friend.

"I thought you were done for sure, dad!" Falco laughed as he wrapped his arms around his father. "But you keep surprising me!"

"Heh, that's what you get for having such little faith in your old man." Joey said with a smirk as Falco's friends raced over to him, looking as excited as his son was.

It was only then they noticed Kaiba was staring at them.

There was a stony silence that was broken by Kaiba…

"Heh…even mutts get luck sometimes…" And he walked away.

Joey growled a little bit. "Why that little…"

"Awww…don't worry about him, Joey!" Yugi said quickly, waving his hands about to grab his friend's attention once more. "Come on! We think you're an awesome duelist!" He looked over at the children. "Isn't that right guys?"

"Amen!" Al three teens exclaimed with nods.

That made Joey grin. "Heh…" he said with a small blush.

Eh, he could take what he could get…

**888888888888888888888888888888888888**

Things could not have been better for Christine.

Her side of the field was stacked. She had Super Vehicroid – Jumbo Drill and Stealth Union, currently equipped with Mystic Tomato she had snatched from Tony. To either side of the machines were a Stealthroid, and a Gyroid. Her Life Points stood at 3,800.

However, Tony's side of the field was barren, aside from one isolated facedown and a defensive monster. His own life points were at 5,400,

"Heh…this is WAY too easy! One good attack and you're good as destroyed! Jumbo Drill, drill into his defense and let's pave the way to his total destruction!"

The Giant Machines blared to life, and it raced forward…

"You would think that, wouldn't you?" He asked with a smirk as he pointed to his facedown. "Activate Negate Attack!"

The machine slammed once more into the giant dome of energy…

Christine growled and slammed a foot on the ground. "Ooooh…fine! I suppose I just end my turn…"

"Then I draw," Tony said, a little too calmly for his own good.

He looked at his new card….and he cackled loudly, clenching a fist with his other hand.

"Now…I summon my greatest monster to the field…"

He slid a card into his disk…

There was a billowing explosion of darkness…

And all Christine would see after that…

…Was darkness.

**888888888888888888888888888888888888**

"Hm?" Michael asked, looking up. "Anyone else feel that?"

"Actually…I did," Claire spoke up, looking up also.

"Same here…felt the ground rumbling…like a little earthquake," Falco said, looking in the direction he heard it.

"Maybe…it was just a little earthquake," Joey said, looking off toward the doorway.

"I don't think so…" Yugi's violet eyes narrowed quite a bit. "I get a feeling that's something a lot worse than an earthquake…"

_Man…if only Yami were here…darn, I have a feeling I know what that earthquake came from…_Yugi thought to himself.

Roland ran from the doorway, his eyes wide behind his sunglasses.

"Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Kaiba! Someone's been hurt!" he exclaimed, pointing to the doorway.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Who's been injured?"

"The girl…um…Christine! We found her…unconscious on the ground in the hallway! There was no one around…we don't know if she was attack or she just passed out!" Roland shouted once more.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed and pushed past his co-worker. "Let me see for myself…"

Soon, the small group of six had entered the hallway, looking down at the dead looking young girl.

"Let me see this…" Kaiba said, kneeling down and pulling out a small pencil sized flashlight from his pocket.

He pulled open her eye and flashed it in there. "Hm…"

"Well, Kaiba? What's your diagnosis?" Joey asked with a roll of his eyes.

Kaiba inspected her a little bit more, then clicked the light once more, turning it off and turned to Roland.

"Call an Ambulance, we'll get her some help…" And walked off in the opposite direction.

Yugi however wouldn't stop looking at the body.

"No…something's wrong…" he mumbled to himself. "Last time I've seen someone like this…"

His eyes widened a bit.

"…Was in a shadow game…"

**888888888888888888888888888888888888**

**Blue Flame Swordsman**  
**Type**: Warrior/Effect/Fire  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,800/1,600  
**Stars**: 4  
**Effect**: During either players turn, you may decrease this cards ATK by any amount and increase another monster on the field by the equal amount. When this card is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, Special Summon one "Flame Swordsman" From your Fusion Deck.

**Take One Chance**  
**Type**: Trap  
**Image**: A young woman looking at three boxes with the entire village standing behind her  
**Effect**: Select one card at random from your graveyard and activate it.

_Note: "Take one Chance" and "Blue Flame Swordsman" were first used by Joey in the anime episode "Fighting for a friend (Part 4). All creative Credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**Compensation Mediation**  
**Type**: Trap  
**Image**: Three men standing amongst a crowd, while a cloudy fiend strangles the man in the middle  
**Effect**: Activate this card when your opponent declares an attack. Your opponent takes this card and two Spell and/or Trap Cards from his Graveyard and places them facedown without you seeing them. Choose one of them at random. If the card you pick is "Compensation Mediation", the attack is negated and your opponent's Battle Phase ends. Then both of the two Spell and/or Trap cards are placed on the top of your opponent's deck. If it is another card, the attack may continue, and the card you chose is placed on the top of your opponent's deck.

_Note: "Compensation Mediation" Was first used by Joey in the anime Episode "My Freaky Valentine" all creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**Star Blaster**  
**Type**: Spell  
**Image**: An imp with red and black clothing, holding a red dice.  
**Effect**: Sacrifice one monster on your side of the field to activate this card. Roll one six sided die. Add the resulting roll to the monsters level. If the total star level equals the star level of a monster in your hand, Special Summon that monster. Otherwise, end your turn.

**Celebration of Creation**  
**Type**: Trap  
**Image**: A king holding a new born baby above his head in front of a crowd  
**Effect**: Activate only when a monster is special summoned by a spell or trap card effect. The turn ends immediately.

_Note: "Star Blaster" and "Celebration of Creation" were first used by Joey in the anime episode "On the Wrong Track". All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**888888888888888888888888888888888888**

Okay people, that's another duel done! Uh-oh seems like Tony's got some new dangerous powers…but we'll come back to that! Next time, we get to see Philip in action. What kind of deck does this mysterious young boy have? Find out next time in "Rising Darkness: Philip Duels!", coming soon!


	6. Rising Darkness Philip Duels!

Announcer: MichaelDj54 still does not own the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh, nor does he intend to make money from this  
Michael: Lovely…

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Darkness Rising: Philip Duels!

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Word of the Accident involving Christine spread through the tournament fast.

Rumors began to fly off a little bit after that, noting how no one was safe, how someone was out attacking innocent duelists and how everyone was to be watching their backs when they were alone.

"I want guards at every corridor entrance," Kaiba ordered to a guard as they walked down the dark corridor, Michael, Claire, Falco, Marie, Joey and Yugi close behind him, "If there is a stalker around here, I don't want him SNEEZING without me knowing."

The guard nodded and dashed off, while Joey smirked from behind.

"Losing your edge Kaiba?" he asked.

Kaiba suddenly froze, and looked over his shoulder, giving Joey such a glare it made Joey take a small step back.

"Never, NEVER assume I've lost my edge, Wheeler. This is just a small bump in the road. The girl's been sent to the hospital, and I'm not gonna let some psychotic bastard ruin my name to fame and hurt anyone else. So if you have any other smug remarks you want to make, you can just leave right now, because I'm not going to hear it."

And with that, he walked off, leaving the six of them behind, looking a bit frightened.

"He's really serious…" Yugi mumbled, his purple eyes staring at his enemy as he exited the corridor.

"I would be too," Michael said, "I mean…I think I would snap on someone if I was as big as Kaiba and someone said my tournaments were dangerous."

"Well…half of them have been….I mean….his first one involved a dark monster using the Millennium rod to control people's influences, and that led to us fighting his five cooperate people…Oh! And--." Joey said, counting all of them said accounts on his fingers while he thought wistfully.

"It was a figure of speech Joey…" Yugi said with a small laugh.

"Oh…" Joey blinked, "I knew that!"

**8888888888888888888888888888888888888**

"If I could have everyone's attention please…?" Kaiba asked as he stepped up to the podium, his blue eyes digging into the wall in front of him, as if he couldn't look at his patrons at the moment.

"I'm sure the lot of you have heard rumors going around of someone going around and attacking the duelists and people participating in my tournament, let me put a few things to rest to begin with.

"First of all, I would like all of the people in this audience to remain calm, for I can guarantee your safety. As the president of Kaiba Corporation, I'm not about to risk the lives of innocent people.

Second of all, I wish to push aside the idea that someone actually attacked the girl. For all we know, she merely passed out on her own accord."

The crowd seemed to accept this with slow murmurings.

"However…for all your sakes, make sure you do not travel around on your own…" He said. He then looked over to the side and waved Roland back up.

"Very well said sir," He said with a nod of his head.

"Mm, whatever," he told him with a shrug as he descended the stairs, "it's like what humanities told me. Give the people a way out, they eat it up and do whatever you want…"

**8888888888888888888888888888888888888**

"So…" Said the voice of Tony as he looked over at a particularly dark bit of shadow as he shuffled his deck, "I do good, boss man?"

"I must say…you did fantastically," the voice from the shadows said with a chuckle, "How you got that girl screaming in agony at the end when you summoned your mightiest beast…truly marvelous!"

Outside, the announcement Kaiba made to the announcer was heard down in the shadows.

The beings red eyes, wide, bright and red stared out the dim light that was the entrance of the corridor.

"Heh…what a sad, sad fool…how little he knows," The eyes vanished for a moment as he shook his head. "You'd think after the little trip he took so long ago would have changed his mind…"

"Trip?" Tony asked, looking over at the eyes. "What do you—"

"Who's there?" Called out a guard at the front of the corridor. "Come out!"

"I shall discuss it another time." The figure said slowly. "in the mean time, we shall meet again…"

And the Eyes vanished into nothing, and Tony vanished in his own ball of darkness.

**8888888888888888888888888888888888888**

"And we're back to the Duel Monsters Grand Prix!" Roland announced, his arm high up in the air, much to the glee of the rest of the duelists and viewers alike.

"Now, please remember the words of Mr. Kaiba and all will be well! Now, if I may have your attention, we'll continue on with the fourth round of our exciting Duel Monsters Tournament!"

The screen rose up behind him, and the pictures began to click back and forth. All of the duelists who hadn't gone yet held their breaths, waiting for their own chance to duel…

Finally, the first image stopped on that Philip kid.

"Well…mystery boy is up first," Falco mumbled, his arms crossed over his chest.

Finally, the second picture stopped, stopping on a boy that none of them recognized.

At once, all of them turned to see who it had stopped at. The boy was about Falco's height with a grey sweater, despite the heat. His messy brown hair stuck out in all direction, and a pair of thick glasses that were pressed up to his face.

"Yeah," he said with a bit of a British accent behind his voice, "My name is Alex Montany, and I suppose I'm your opponent."

Philip looked over at his opponent, a small, innocent look behind his eyes.

"Yeah…" he said with a bit of a nod, looking back down to the ground, "Yeah…I suppose you are…"

No one noticed the smirk he gave the ground below him…

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"So…" Michael said as he leaned against the railing of the viewer's box, "Let's see if this Philip guys puts meaning to "Strong, silent type"…"

Alex faced his opponent, his eyes narrowed from behind his glasses as he stared at his opponent on the other side of the playing field.

Philips hair dangled in front of his eyes, and a smirk crossed his lips slowly.

"GAME ON!" They both screamed.

**(Philip: 8,000) -- (Alex: 8,000)**

"Now then," Philip said as he looked at his deck, drawing his opening hand of five cards, then drew another, "I think I'll go first, if you don't mind…"

"Go right 'head, mate," Alex said with a shrug.

"Excellent." He looked at his hand in a somewhat bored manner.

"My turn will merely consist of setting a monster facedown in defense mod, and then setting one card facedown." He announced.

The respective facedown cards appeared in front of him.

"My turn then, Draw!" Alex shouted, drawing his card.

"I summon the Gravekeeper's Curse in Attack Mode!"

A man appeared in front of him, an intimidating one. His entire body was covered in a dark, black cloak and had deep, tan skin. In his hand he clutched a staff. (800/800)

"He's using Gravekeepers?" Yugi asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Those strong, Yug'?" Joey asked, looking at his friend.

The King of games placed his hand on his chin.

"I've read about them…they're complicated but they're REALLY strong…" he mused. "They're all somewhat based on a Field Spell….darn, what was it called again…?

"And since I summon him, "Alex began, pointing a hand forward, "I can deal you 500 Points of Damage!"

The Gravekeeper's Curse gestured with his staff, and a dark, purple aura surrounded Philip. He cringed.

**(Philip: 7,500) -- (Alex: 8,000)**

Alex crossed his arms and chuckled. "That'll end my turn, old bean."

"Good…" Philip drew his card. His eyes flashed just a little bit.

"Now…I summon Gil Garth, in attack mode!"

In front of him appeared a frightening looking creature, like a fiend shaped robot, which held up a large sword in front of him. It droned as it stared at Alex. (1,800/1,200)

"Attack his Curse with Sword Slash!" Philip commanded, a new sense of fear coming from him.

The fiend leapt forward, sword blazing in the light and dug his sword into the Spellcaster. The monster roared and exploded into dark pixels.

**(Philip: 7,500) -- (Alex: 7,000)**

"Ooooh…that's bad…" Alex moaned, wincing as his monster exploded.

"And it's only going to get worse from here on out!" Philip said with a laugh. "I end my turn!"

Alex drew his card quickly and looked at it. He smirked.

"And now we may begin your total destruction! I play the ever popular spell card, Necrovalley!"

The ground around the two of them began to shudder and rumble, and finally the two of them were surrounded on either side by large stone walls, which seemed to dance in the new Egyptian sun.

"Welcome to my Gravekeepers Domain, in which they rule!" Alex announced. "See, this place has two effects. First, as long as it's on the field, neither you nor I can use cards that effect the Graveyard. In other words, Premature Burial, Monster Reborn, Call of the Haunted…all worthless!"

Philip narrowed his eyes and growled. He had Monster Reborn right there in his hand…

"In addition, all my Gravekeepers I happen to summon to the field later on are granted a 500 Attack and Defense Point Bonus!"

He pulled a card from his hand.

"But why tell you…when I can show you? I summon my Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier in Attack Mode!"

In front of him appeared another nomad with a black cloak, bu seemed about a good foot taller than the previous monster. This one carried a large spear that seemed bigger than him. (1,500/1,000) -- (2,000/1,500)

"Attack Gil Garth with Spear Strike!" Alex shouted.

The Gravekeeper leapt into the air and slammed the tip of his spear into the robotic fiend, causing him to explode.

**(Philip: 7,300) -- (Alex: 7,000)**

"Take that," Alex cried out, punching a fist forward with a smirk. "I end my turn, show me what you got! And don't even TRY to defend, because my Spear Soldier damages you even through defense!"

"Oh, I have a way to get through him," he told his opponent as he drew his card, looked at it, and pointed to his facedown. "I flip up my monster, Dark Jeroid!"

The monster that flipped up was truly hideous, like a combination of failed pieces of other fiends, with pores, arms and skin in all the wrong places. A face could be seen in the bottom half of the beast. (1,200/1,500)

"And when I summon my Dark Monster like I just did, a monster of my choice loses 800 Attack Points!"

The fiend in front of him began to gurgle and expel other rather interesting sounds, eventually releasing a rather sick looking spray of purple liquid, which hit the Spear Soldier.

The Spear Soldier shuddered visibly and dropped to one knee, holding his cane up in an attempt to hold himself up. His Attack Points fell to 1,200.

"Yeah? Well, Dark Jeroid has the same attack points now! You can't get rid of it without taking out your own monster with it!" shouted Alex

"Perhaps, but that's why he's not going to stay," Philip said with a casual shrug, "Because I offer my Dark Jeroid…for Helpoemer!"

The Dark Jeroid sank into the ground, and a new shape began to rise up. It looked like a fiend sitting in an elegant throne, with blue leathery skin, and mouths all over it's body. (2,000/1,200)

"Now, that's strong enough! Helpoemer, attack his Spear Soldier with Chthonian Chant!"

All of the mouths on it's body began to gibber and say utter nonsense, like a chant, and the Spear Soldier slowly rose into the air, looking frightened. Finally, one loud word later, he screamed and exploded violently in mid air.

**(Philip: 7,300) -- (Alex: 6,200)**

Alex gritted his teeth angrily.

Meanwhile, Joey seemed a bit on edge.

"Joey, what's wrong?" Yugi asked his friend carefully

"I don't like this Yug'…" Joey said, his right eye twitching a little bit. "All of this just seems way too…Familiar…"

Alex drew his card after Philip announced he ended his turn, and his eyes widened. _Jackpot!_

"I summon the Gravekeepers Assailant!"

In front of him was yet another one, this one completely covered in a black robe. She (At least they all assumed it was a She) clutched two daggers in either of her hands. She spun them around expertly, then got into a position to attack. (1,500/1,500) -- (2,000/2,000)

"Hm, impressive, I'll admit," Philip noted with a nod of his head, "But both of our monsters will destroy each other!"

"No they won't. See, when my Assailant attacks when she's in her Home, and when she attacks, she can switch the battle position of one monster on the field!" Alex smirked. "Attack Helpoemer my monster!"

The Assailant flashed both of her knifes and balsted forward. Something happened, and the Helpoemer seemed to bow in his throne, before shattering into numerous pixels.

"Ha, take that!" Alex said with a grin.

"Why thank you…" Philip said with a smirk.

"Thank you, what do you—"

That was when there was a massive explosion of darkness from his graveyard.

"YAAH!" He screamed, noticing a card slide in: Philip's Helpoemer card!

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" Philip laughed, bending his head back. "You think destroying my monster would be THAT easy? Helpoemer is a spirit of the underworld, anyone who dares attack him in our world must face the consequences!"

"Like…what?"

"Oh…you'll see," Philip said with a casual shrug.

"Oo…Kay…" Alex said. "I end my turn then…"

Philip drew his card and looked at it.

"I set one monster in defense…"

A facedown monster appeared in front of him, blocking the way of it's master.

"…And play my facedown, Coffin Seller!"

The facedown flipped up, and Philip smirked, crossing his arms.

"I end my turn on that note."

_Coffin Seller?_ Alex thought as he drew his card. _I should know what that does…coffin…it's gotta do something with destroying my monsters!_

He looked at his card.

_If it deals with attacking, I can hurt him this turn WITHOUT attacking…_

"For my turn, I summon a second Gravekeepers Curse!"

A twin copy of the first Gravekeepers curse appeared in front of him. (800/800) -- (1,300/1,300)

The Spellcaster spun his staff around and glowed with a purple aura. Philip grimaced and bit his lip as he was covered in the same Aura.

**(Philip: 6,800) -- (Alex: 6,200)**

Alex grinned a little bit and waved his hand. "That'll end my turn, now come on; let's see what you got!"

"See what I got, eh?" Philip asked as he drew. His eyes narrowed and he grinned. "How's this for got? I sacrifice both of YOUR cards…"

Alex blinked in surprise as his two monsters suddenly formed into two puddles of what appeared to be lava…

"For the all mighty Lava Golem!"

The small puddle of lava at his feet blasted upward, and the next thing he knew, Alex was in a rather large, human sized cage. Behind him was a towering monster, composed of lava. (3,000/2,500)

"NOW he's in trouble…" Joey said with another shudder, "Lava Golem's…like, one of the worst monsters for both players."

"And you would know, huh Wheeler?" Kaiba asked from the back. "You seem to have a nasty history with that card…"

Joey pretended not to hear him, but he was right, he was having some nasty flashbacks…

"Eh…I suppose I should be thanking you for this…" Alex said with a bit of a frightening looking to the titan behind him.

"You shouldn't! Because first, we activated Coffin Seller's effect, which means every time a monster of yours heads to the graveyard, you lose 300 Life Points!"

Alex groaned as Philip's trap card glowed a bright green.

**(Philip: 6,800) -- (Alex: 5,600)**

"However, there's a downside to this beast," Philip said, shrugging his shoulders. "I can't summon anything else this turn, so I'm merely ending my turn."

Alex drew his card.

"Oh, and then there's the fact that that thing behind you doesn't act too kindly to it's prisoners."

"Say what now?" Alex began.

He was answered in a moments notice, screaming as the cage he was in seemed to heat up to extreme levels and turn a bright orange red.

"Yeah, as long as he's on your side of the field, you lose 1,000 Life Points each of your Standby Phases, meaning you have something as strong as Kaiba's Blue Eyes, but not without a cost!"

"I can…still attack!" Alex hissed. "Lava Golem, attack his Defense!"

A ball of molten fire appeared in front of the fiend's mouth and it blasted forward, striking Philip's facedown Sangan, which screamed and exploded.

"As I'm sure you know, I can now take a weak monster from my deck to my hand!" A card slid out and flew into his hands.

"Okay…nothing I can't worry about…"

But what he saw next made him scream a little bit. A ghostly arm had slid out of his graveyard, and snatched a card from his hand.

"Hey! My card!" He exclaimed.

"That's the power of Helpoemer!" Philip said with a bit of a grin. "It's simple, as long as it's in your graveyard, should you be brave enough to attack, he'll rise up from the grave and take one of the cards in your hand! And should that card be a monster, you lose 300 Life Points because of my Coffin Seller!"

"Okay…I'll admit…That's pretty clever." Alex said with a sweat drop.

He looked at his hands.

"I guess I end my turn…"

Philip drew his card and looked at it briefly. He took the other card he took with Sangan's effect and grinned. "I summon Bowganian in attack mode!"

An odd monster appeared, it was a large, green eyeball holding a large crossbow. (1,300/1,000)

"Philip's deck is really weird…" Michael said. "From what I've seen, it's all about hurting the opponent with effect damage and weakening their artillery…"

"Seems…vaguely familiar…" Falco said, remembering something his father had said once.

"Then, to end my turn, I will play Nightmare Steelcage!"

A circle of fire encircled Alex's feet, and a large criss crossing cage suddenly wrapped around him and the Lava Golem.

Alex drew his card, and grimaced as the Cage he was in heated up quite a bit again.

**(Philip: 6,800) -- (Alex: 3,600)**

He looked at the card in his hand, and he suddenly smiled quite a bit.

"Okay…if I can't attack with your monster, I can sacrifice him! I offer your Lava Golem for my Gravekeepers Chief!"

The Giant fiend gave one last roar as it vanished into pixels of light, and Alex grimaced as he lost another 300 Life Points.

In the place of the fiery fiend was a man, with deep, tan skin and holding up a large staff and wearing more dark robes. (1,900/1,400) -- (2,400/1,900)

"And with him on the field, I get two benefits! For the first, I'm now no longer restricted to the Graveyard abiding effects of Necrovalley! And as a benefit to that, Gravekeepers Chief lets me Special Summon a monster from my graveyard, like…Gravekeepers Curse!"

Once more, the curse appeared. (800/800) -- (1,300/1,300)

Philip growled and gritted his teeth as another 500 Life Points were drained from him.

**(Philip: 6,300) -- (Alex: 3,300)**

"That's all I can do." Alex said.

"Draw!" Shouted Philip, and he drew his card. "And as per the effect of Bowganian, you lose 600 Life Points!"

The crossbow in the large eyes hand clicked, and a large steel arrow shot forward, striking Alex in the chest and making him gasp in pain.

He looked at his hand, and scowled, "I switch Bowganian to defense mode and end my turn."

Bowganian floated back a few inches.

Alex drew his card and looked at it. Still nothing he could do to destroy the Nightmare Steelcage.

"I…I have to pass," announced Alex.

Philip drew his card, and a moment later Bowganian cocked another arrow. It zoomed past Alex's chest, and he gripped the area around it.

_Whoa…that actually almost felt real…_

Philip pretended not to notice and looked at his hand.

"I set one monster in defense mode…"

A facedown monster appeared facedown in front of him.

"And end my turn."

Alex drew his card, and he actually grinned.

_That's better!_

"I set one monster in defense…and have my Gravekeepers Curse attack Bowganian!"

The Curse gestured, and the arrow shooting eye was blasted apart into screws and gears.

"Now, Gravekeepers Chief, attack his defense position monster!"

The Gravekeepers Chief lifted up his staff and with a cry thrusted it forward. A blackish purple beam was blasted out and it struck his facedown, revealing a blueish looking fiend. It exploded.

"That was my Hiro's Shadow Scout," Philip began. "Now that you flipped him up, you must draw your next three cards."

Alex looked confused and drew them.

"Now, if any of them are spells, you must discard them all!"

Alex looked at them, then growled.

Field Barrier, a second Necrovalley and Terraforming, those were ALL spells!

Begrudgingly he slid them all into his graveyard.

"And don't forget, since you attacked this turn, Helpoemer takes another card to the Grave with it!"

The Ghostly arm rose out of the Graveyard and grabbed a card called Gravekeepers Vassal.

As it was dragged in, he felt more of his Life Points being drained as a result of the Coffin Seller Card.

**(Philip: 6,300) -- (Alex: 1,800)**

"You're getting lucky…" growled Alex, waving his hand to signal the end of his turn.

Philip looked at the card he drew, and slid it in. A facedown Spell/Trap appeared in front of him, and he waved his hand to end his turn.

_No monsters?_ Alex thought to himself as he drew his next card quickly, _that facedown must be able to destroy my monsters or deal me damage…if that's the case I'm screwed!_

He looked at his new card, and he grinned.

"Well…who needs to ATTACK?" He asked his opponent. "I summon Gravekeeper's Cannonholder!"

Another nomad appeared in front of him, this one holding a very large red cannon atop his shoulders. He gave Philip a dirty look and armed his cannon. (1,400/1,400) -- (1,900/1,900)

Philip cocked an eyebrow, he hoped he would take the bait…

"Now then, my monster isn't holding that cannon just for show! For every Gravekeeper I have, I can offer it as a tribute to deal you 700 Points of Damage, but before any of THAT happens…"

His facedown monster flipped up, and another curse appeared. Once more it gestured, and Philip was swallowed in the purplish aura again.

"Now, since I have three Gravekeepers on my side of the field, I can offer all three of them to deal you quite a bit of damage!"

The three Gravekeepers evaporated into molts of golden light, all of which vanished into the cannon. He failed to notice his Life Points drain quite a bit as he felt Coffin Seller work it's magic, but three large blasts of energy soared from the mouth of the cannon and struck Philip enough times to send him reeling.

**(Philip: 3,100) -- (Alex: 900)**

_Nothing ventured…_Alex thought to himself, and pointed a hand forward, "Cannonholder, attack him directly!"

The cannon holding Gravekeeper held up it's cannon and began to charge it's power…

"Activate my facedown, Nightmare Wheel!"

As the attack zoomed forward, a massive wheel blocked it and sent it elsewhere. Suddenly, four large, thick metal chains launched out and snagged the Cannonholder. It reeled back into the wheel, the Spellcaster in tow.

"What did you do!?" Alex shouted as his Spellcaster cried out in pain.

"It's simple! When my Nightmare Wheel takes a monster of yours hostage, they can't attack! However, during each of your Standby Phases, you will lose 500 Life Points! And since you still went into your battle phase…"

The Ghostly Hand of Helpoemer reached up from the graveyard and snagged a card in Alex's Hand. Cat of Ill Omen being a monster, he lost 300 Life Points. He fell to his final 600 Points.

**(Philip: 3,100) -- (Alex: 600)**

Philip drew a card and looked at it. A chuckle escaped his lips.

"I pass…" He said with a smirk.

Alex slowly, shakily drew his card, and a purple beam shot from the Nightmare Wheel and into Alex's chest. He panted heavily and dropped to both his knees and his last 100 Life Points.

He looked at his card, and he winced. He widened his eyes, and slid it in, shouting, "I play Heavy Storm!"

The wind began to whip around quickly and without warning. It tore apart the walls of the Necrovalley, and then the Wheel that held his Cannonholder shattered. What was more, Coffin Seller Vanished too.

"Now then…" Alex said with a grin as his monster landed back in front of him. "Where was I…oh yeah! Attack his life points directly!"

The Cannonholder rose up his cannon once more and blasted another beam forward; it struck Philip this time and sent him reeling.

**(Philip: 1,700) -- (Alex: 100)**

"I set these two cards facedown…" Alex said with a bit of a grin. "And end my turn."

_I win next turn…my facedown is Magic Cylinder, and even if he DOES try to destroy my cards, Judgment of Anubis'll destroy his monster and still deal him damage. What's better, even if he DOES have monsters left, I still have a monster to use for Cannonholder's effect…_

Philip drew his card rather calmly, and with a smirk, flipped it around to show his opponent, who blinked.

Hinotama.

"I'm sure you know what this does," Philip said with a chuckle. "I play it, and you lose 500 Life Points."

He plugged the card in, and Alex screamed as several burning rocks flew from the heavens and plowed into him and his side of the field.

**(Philip: 1,700) -- (Alex: 0)**

There was a long pause. No one was sure how to react.

"Well…" Roland began, "That was unexpected…but now we have our winner, Philip Hawkins!"

There was some scattered applause.

"Yeesh…win by a Hinotama Spell Card…" Michael said, it seemed…cheap.

"Meh, don't mess with what you can deal with," Matt said as he walked up from behind them, "it's a bit cheap…but affective, as we can see."

"There's still something I don't like about that kid…" Joey said, his arms crossed.

"Why, just because he has more skill than YOU, wheeler?" Kaiba asked smugly.

"No…he's right Kaiba…there's something…not right with that kid…" Yugi said.

He narrowed his eyes at him as he walked off.

"And I think we're gonna need to find out a little bit more about this Philip Hawkins…"

**8888888888888888888888888888888888888**

As Philip walked back into the building in which he first walked out of, a small smirk crossed his lips.

"Too easy…and I must say, those people are dumber than they look…"

And so he began to chuckle loudly, and as he walked into the shadows his form began to change shape dramatically…

**8888888888888888888888888888888888888**

And on top of the nearest skyscraper, over looking Kaiba Land, a figure in a dark purple robe was seen, his face hidden by the shadow in which his hood gave him.

"So, you understand what you must do?" Asked a voice into the beings ear piece.

The man pressed a finger into his ear as he too began to speak.

"I understand," he said with a nod of his head.

"Good! Well hurry, there is no time in which to dilly dally!"

The figure nodded again and turned around, walking to the door. His eyes set on his duty at hand…

**8888888888888888888888888888888888888**

And now with that duel done, we look at a new view of Philip, and we have someone new working for the good guys! And no, it's Not Pegasus, he's not gonna be in this fanfiction, maybe next time! Who could this mysterious figure be?

Well, next time the Rivalry between Falco and Matt continues as they're up next to duel! Who will finally win in this long awaited rematch between the beasts of Darkness, and Creatures of the Sky! Tune in next time for the next Chapter, "The Rivals Duel!", coming soon!


	7. The Rivalry Continues!

Disclaimer: MichaelDj54 owns no right to Yugioh franchise in any way, shape or form, nor does he intend to make from this.  
Michael: Yadda, yadda, yadda…

**8888888888888888888888888888888888888888**

The Rivalry Continues

**8888888888888888888888888888888888888888**

The young Falco was becoming anxious for a duel of his own, and he was wondering when he was going to get his turn.

"I mean…we're down to our last few participants! It's gotta be my turn soon at least…" he mumbled, crossing his arms impatiently.

"Calm down, babe…" Marie said with a sigh, "you'll get your chance…everyone will."

"Yeah…but still! I've reworked my deck…I'm pretty sure mom will be pleased with the results!" exclaimed Falco.

"I don't know, kid…" Joey said with a knowing smirk, "you're mother is one of the hardest people to please…believe me, I know."

"Okay, ew," his son said with a sort of disgusted look on his face.

"You know what I mean…"

Meanwhile, Yugi was still brooding. "Hm…" he mumbled aloud to himself, stroking his chin.

"Come on Yug', you still on about that Philip guy?" Joey asked him. "Maybe you should take a break…he can't be that serious."

"I have a really bad feeling about him," he said, his eyes narrowing at the brick he seemed fascinated with, "something about him…something that seems painfully familiar…"

"I get what cha saying, Yug'…" Joey said, nodding a little bit and looking over at the young man, currently leaning against the wall of the lobby. "But still…for now, let's try not and wrack our brains about this."

"Or lack there of, for you Wheeler," Kaiba said with a bit of a smirk.

Joey twitched.

"Kaiba, you can't say you don't have the same feeling about that kid," Yugi said.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed, and moved to the corner, as if trying to see the boy behind him.

"Fine…I'm giving you that much, Yugi." He told his rival with a shrug, then looked to the side and waved two fingers up.

Roland ran over to the group.

"Can I help you, Mr. Kaiba?" he asked, standing up straight.

"Keep an eye out on that Philip character, there's something I don't like about him…" he told him.

"Right away, Mr. Kaiba." He said, giving a quick nod and ran off to the podium.

"There, feel better twerp? We can now keep an eye on him, even when we're not doing the same." Kaiba said.

He then turned to see Roland, walking up to the podium in front of the large screen that held the next contestants.

"Now then, let's see who we have next in our Dueling Tournament…"

"If I may have everyone's attention?" Roland called out, "We're going to announce the next duelists for the next round!"

He clicked a button on the remote, and the eight remaining contestants faces began to move rapidly amongst the boxes. The first face to appears was Falco's…

"YES!" he called out, pumping a fist.

The seconds was Matt's.

Both duelists looked at each other, as if the two of them had been expecting this, as if they knew they were going to duel.

Both of them grinned, and shot up the other a thumbs up.

THIS…was going to be epic.

**8888888888888888888888888888888888888888**

As Matt fixed up his deck, Falco watched him.

"This is gonna be good," Falco said as he shuffled his deck rather quickly, as was a nervous habit that passed down in his family, apparently, "He's gonna fix up his deck and we're gonna go freaking at it…"

"Careful, man," Michael said, nodding his head, "he's tough…Zombies are very tough."

"Trust me, a face full of Vampire Genesis fist says I know that for a fact…" Falco shuddered. "But still, I better get ready myself…"

He looked through his deck a few more times, and pulled out another card, looking at it.

_Pegasus gave me this card, just before he left…_He thought, looking at it, _let's hope it helps this duel…_

He shuffled it into his deck, and took a deep breath, "You ready to go mate? Ready to get completely stomped by my Harpies?" he asked, sneeringly to Matt.

"Trust me, I don't plan on losing to those winged things ever again." He said with a bit of a grin. "This time, you're going DOWN." he plunged a thumb downward for emphasis.

Before Falco could react, three chimes echoed above.

"Would the duelists scheduled to duel please come to the arena?" came Roland's voice.

"That's us," Falco said.

"Let's do this then," Matt said, and walked down the hallway.

"Good luck, Falco!" Claire shouted, waving to her friend.

"We'll be rooting for ya, man!" Michael said with a smile and a wave of his own.

"Thanks guy," Falco said with a grin, giving them a thumbs up and walked after his opponent.

**8888888888888888888888888888888888888888**

"Welcome, one and all, to the next round of the Duel Monsters Grand Prix! Now, if everyone would be so kind, give our next duelists a round of applause! First, we have the son of the duelist himself, Falco Wheeler!"

Falco walked out of the corridor, trying to looks stony but the grin on his face showed he was feeling otherwise.

"And from the same School of Duel as the young Wheeler, comes Matthew Jorange!"

Matt walked out on the opposite corridor, but unlike the Wheeler he seemed to take quite some pride, waving to the people who cheered for him.

"Now, I'm sure the both of you know the rules of this as of now?" Roland asked, looking between the two, then shot his hand up, "So….LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"

"LET'S DUEL!" Matt and Falco roared at the same time, the fire and the fury evident in their eyes.

**(Falco: 8,000) -- (Matt: 8,000)**

"I think I'll start this party," Falco said, drawing his first card and slapping it on his disk, "And what better way to do that then summoning Harpie Lady One!"

In a colorful blast of light, a monster appeared in front of her, a young lady with beautiful long red hair, and a skin tight body suit. Her claws were long and sharp, and had majestic wings on her arm. (1,300/1,400)

"And as long as she's on the field, all Wind Monsters on the field gain a 300 Attack Points Bonus!"

(1,600/1,400)

"And that's gonna end my turn," Falco said, crossing his arms.

"My turn, then!" Matt shouted, drawing his card and grinned. "Well, to start my turn, I'm playing the spell card, Prohibition!"

The spell card appeared in front of him, and in front of that a large, old fashioned wooden sign appeared.

"Now with this card, I can name one card name. So long as it's on the field, we're not allowed to play it! So for now, I'm going to choose…Harpies' Hunting Ground!"

On the wooden board appeared the art work for Harpies' Hunting Ground. The next thing appeared, a large red circle appeared, and slashed across the picture.

"Why would he pick that?" Claire asked with an innocent tilt of her head, "I mean…why wouldn't he pick Harpie Lady in general?"

"Because Harpies' Hunting Ground is dangerous, considering the fact every time he summons a Harpie Monster, a Spell or a Trap is destroyed…and anyone knows that can seriously mess up a combo or a strategy."

"Continuing my turn," Matt continued, pulling out another card from his hand and sliding it onto his disk. "I summon the Zombie Werewolf!"

In front of the duelist appeared a large wolf man, in green torn shorts, and matted silver grey hair. It bent its head back and howled. (1,200/1,200)

"Now, with one more facedown, I end my turn." He said, sliding in the card in front of him.

"My turn then!" Falco shouted, drawing his opening hand and looked at it for a moment. "Okay! For this turn, I'm gonna summon…Harpies' Brother, in attack mode!"

The monster that appeared surely seemed like part of the Harpie lineage. He was tall, with chocolate, spiky brown hair and a vest on his vest. On his face was a long red scarf that whipped in the wind, and long claws. (1,800/800) -- (2,100/800)

"Now then, Harpie Lady One, attack Zombie werewolf with Talon Strike!" Falco shouted, pointing a hand forward.

The Harpie let out a loud caw and leapt into the air, then pulled into a heavy dive bomb. She struck the Zombie Werewolf in the chest, making it howl and explode into pixels.

The feeling was short lived. No sooner did the pixels of the Zombie Werewolf vanish did another one appear, only this one seemed bigger than the previous one. (1,700/1,200)

"Apparently someone didn't do their homework!" Matt said with a laugh. "Werewolves are hard to kill, but ZOMBIE werewolves are near impossible! In game terms, if you destroy one, I can bring one out of my deck, only this time 500 Points stronger than the last one!"

"You make it seem like I care! Harpies' Brother, attack that one!" Falco shouted once more.

The older brother took after his sister and leapt into the air. Without much ado about anything, his claws were jammed deep in the Werewolves chest, making it howl and explode once more.

Once more, a third werewolf appeared, this one with bulging muscles and longer claws. Foam dripped from its open maw as it snarled. (2,200/1,200)

Falco for some odd reason or another seemed pleased with this result, and slid in a card. "I set one more card facedown, and end my turn." He said with a grin.

A facedown card appeared behind the two siblings.

"Then it's my go!" Matt shouted, drawing his card and grinned. "First, I'm gonna set one card facedown…one monster in defense…and have my Zombie Werewolf attack your Harpie Lady One! I think the term is called…an eye for an eye!"

The Werewolf howled loudly and leapt into the air, claws blazing in the light of midday, and tackled the Harpie Lady to the ground. Falco chose to turn his head away to avoid the carnage.

Matt smirked as his Werewolf lurked back over to his side. "I end my turn, mate."

**(Falco: 7,400) -- (Matt: 7,100)**

"Then I'll draw!" Falco shouted, snatching the top card off of his disk and grinned. "That's what I'm talking about. I play the spell card, Summon Storm!"

The card appeared on the field, and it whipped up a powerful wind.

"With this card, I pay a mere 800 Life Points to summon any Level Four or lower wind monster, so I'll summon The Whirlwind Prodigy!"

From the large whirlwind in the middle of the field appeared the young boy with brown hair and normal clothing of a young boy. Bugs, birds and bats flew around him as the wind picked up. (1,500/1,600)

"And since that was a Special Summon, I can offer him to summon my big guy, Simorgh, the Bird of Divinity!"

The boy vanished, but in his place appeared a massive bird, its feathers a beautiful emerald green. It let out a caw and released its wings. (2,700/1,400)

"Attack the Zombie Werewolf, and get that thing out of my sight!"

The Birds eyes flashed red, and its wings opened once more. It began to beat it's wings heavily, causing a large windstorm to blast through. The Werewolf struggled to keep his ground, but he shattered after another moment or two.

**(Falco: 6,600) -- (Matt: 6,600)**

"I end my turn, dude." He grinned. "Let's see what you got this time."

"Let's see indeed," Matt drew his card. "There we are…I sacrifice my facedown card to summon my Vampire Lord!"

The facedown card vanished form in front of him, and a new figure rose up in its place. Its skin was pale, and it's hair was stalk white. It's cape drifted over it's body, as an evil gleam went on in his eyes. He hissed, throwing his cape over him. (2,000/1,500)

"Attack his Harpies' brother with Children of the Night!"

The cape flew open, and a large horde of bats flew out. The winged mammals flew forward and completely swarmed over the elder Harpie Male. Despite his best efforts to get them off him, he failed and finally sunk to the ground, upon his knees and shattered finally.

The bats flew back into their masters' clock and he closed it, his pets full for the moment.

**(Falco: 6,400) -- (Matt: 6,600)**

"And because I did damage to your life points with him, I think I'll declare…a Spell Card."

Falco looked down at his deck and a card slipped out. He discarded his Arrow Nail and put it in the graveyard.

"Now with that said and done, I end my turn!" Matt goaded, grinning.

"My turn then!" Falco drew his card quickly. He looked at his hand, then pointed forward. "You wanna play rough? Let's play rough! Simorgh, attack Vampire Lord!"

The titanic emerald bird narrowed her ruby red eyes and began to rise up it's wings…

"Hold it right there! I activate my facedown card, Red Ghost Moon!"

His facedown flipped up, and a murky feel rose to the field.

"Now, by discarding a Zombie card from my hand to the graveyard, I can negate your attack, and increase my Life Points equal to the Attack Points of your monster!"

A blood red moon appeared in the sky above the two duelists, causing a murky feel to rise above the two, and Simorgh froze in her tracks.

**(Falco: 6,400) -- (Matt: 9,300)**

"Anything else you wanna do?" Matt said with a grin.

"Yeah, when I end my turn you're gonna regret playing that card!" Falco shouted.

"Hm?" He asked, noticing Simorgh's eyes began to glow…and he began to do the same.

"Since you only have one Spell or Trap on the field, you lose 500 Life Points!"

"Eh…kinda worth it…" Matt said with a chuckle.

"I'm ending my turn, by the way."

Matt drew his card and grinned. "Okay then, for this turn, I'ma summon Vampire Bat!" He shouted, sliding the card in.

In a horde of squeaking creatures, a hideous, rather large vampire bat appeared beside the Vampire Lord, squeaking as it licked its lips. (800/800)

"And I'm sure you know, when I have him out on the field, all Zombie monsters on the field gain 200 Attack Points!" Matt beamed.

"That's nice and all, but it's still not enough to defeat Simorgh!" Falco laughed.

"Not alone, but that's why we have such useful cards, like…Rush Recklessly!"

The Vampire lord hissed as he rose to 2,900 Attack Points.

"Vampire Lord, attack Simorgh with Children of the Night!"

Once more, the Vampire Lord opened his cloak wide open, causing his children, the vampire bats, to fly out and swarm the giant bird. She squawked out in agony before exploding into pixilated remains.

"Now, Vampire Bat, YOU take a bite out of my old buddy there!" matt said with a smirk.

Falco brought his arms up quickly as he felt the bat break into several smaller bats and swarm over him, grunting as he felt their little teeth biting into him…

**(Falco: 5,200) -- (Matt: 8,800)**

Matt grinned. "I'm ending my turn, mate."

"Then I start mine! Draw!" Falco shouted, drawing his card quickly and grinned. "I play the spell card, Monster Reborn, allowing me to bring back a monster from my Graveyard to the Field, such as my Harpie Lady One!"

The holy symbol appeared in the air, and with it the Red Haired Harpie appeared. (1,300/1,400) -- (1,600/1,400)

"Then, in chaining to that summoning, I play one of my favorite spell cards, Inferno Reckless Summon!"

The Spell appeared on the field, and two gusts of wind appeared on the field.

"Now with this card, I'm gonna special Summon Harpie Lady two and three from my deck!"

Beside the Red Haired Harpie came two more, one with short orange hair, the other with Spiky Blue hair. (1,300/1,400) -- (1,600/1,400) X 2

"Of course, you get the same benefit," Falco said to him.

Matt narrowed his eyes as two more Vampire Bat's appeared beside the original, and all the monsters on the field rose 400 More attack Points. (1,000/800) -- (1,400/800) (2,200/1,500) -- (2,600/1,500)

"I was hoping you would do that! Harpie Lady's, attack all the Vampire Bat's he's got out!" Falco shouted, pointing forward.

The Harpie Lady Sisters all leapt into the air and swooped down on the bats. Each time the Harpie lady in question took out one, the other two lost two hundred with each battle.

**(Falco: 5,200) -- (Matt: 7,600)**

"I'm still in the lead!" Matt shouted, grunting in pain as his three vampire bats were lsot.

"Not for long. I play the spell card Winged Payment!" He shouted, showing the card. "By paying 600 Life Points, I can draw a card for every Wind monster on my side of the field!

He drew his three cards and looked at them.

"Of course, I can't use them NOW, but for later. I'll set this card down…and end my turn!"

"Then it's my turn!" Matt exclaimed, drawing his card and showed it to his opponent. "And I'm gonna start things off by showing you why I wanted that Harpies' Hunting Ground out of the game! First, I remove Vampire Lord from play and summon Vampire Genesis!"

The Vampire Lord vanished and in it's place appeared a massive purple skinned beast. The muscles alone were frightening enough, but the face was truly frightening, a pair of red eyes stared out, and its mouth was merely teeth, grinning out. It opened it's massive cape and roared. (3,000/2,100)

"Then, I play one of my mom's favorite cards!"

He paused and winced upon the mention of his mother, but slid the card in.

"Genesis Crisis."

The spell card appeared behind the Giant Vampire, and said monster began to glow.

"Now, during each of my turns, I can take one Zombie Card from my deck and add it to my hand!" He shouted, his hand hovering above his deck.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! ANY Zombie card?" Falco asked, getting rather nervous.

"Oh yeah, such as…my Zombie Master, who I'll summon to the field!" He shouted.

The next monster that appeared was an odd one, skeletal thin, stalk white hair and eyeless face peeked out, as the creature in question giggled loudly. (1,800/0)

"Let's get down to business! Zombie Master, attack Harpie Lady One with Rise of the dead lightning Blast!"

The Zombie Master held up his hands and began to chant off a spell, hands high in the air and beginning to gather up as much energy as it could muster, then as it was ready to release this energy…

"Trap Card, Activate!" Falco shouted, throwing his hand to his facedown card. "Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation, go!"

The facedown flipped up, and the Harpie Lady's leapt together, creating what appeared to be a flaming, brown bird. The bird cawed, knocking away the blast.

"This works like Waboku, if I have three Harpie Lady's on my side of the field, now I can't lose anything this turn!"

"Lucky…" Matt snarled, gripping a fist. "I end my turn."

"My go!" Falco drew his card and frowned. "I switch all my monsters into Defense mode, and set this monster in defense mode." He noted, sliding all the cards into his disk.

The Harpies all kneeled down and guarded themselves with their claws.

"That ends my turn…"

Matt drew his card, and smirked, pointing to his card. "I enact the effect of Genesis Crisis, taking my Despair from the Dark and adding it to my hand."

The selected card slid out and flew into his hand, which he added to it.

"Now, I'm going to sacrifice Zombie Master to summon Ryu Kokki!"

The Zombie vanished from his place, and in his place stood the tall and mighty bone ogre, chuckling darkly as it cracked its numerous bones. (2,400/2,000)

"Then, I invoke Vampire Genesis' effect! I discard the card I just got, Despair from the Dark, and I'm allowed to Special Summon a Zombie Monster from my graveyard that has a lower level than the monster I discarded! So I'm gonna bring back Zombie Master!"

The card was discarded, and at that moment Vampire Genesis slammed his claw into the ground, digging a deep crater. The claw retracted, and in it's grasp was the Zombie Master, whom he set down. The Zombie master shuddered and shook his head, releasing the clumps in his hair. (1,800/0)

"Okay, Vampire Genesis, attack Harpie Lady One! Ryu Kokki, attack Harpie Lady Two, and Zombie Master, take out Harpie Lady Three!"

The Vampire Genesis erupted into Blood red smoke and dashed forward, enveloping the long haired Harpie. There was a scream from the mist, and when it drifted away, there was nothing left.

Ryu Kokki lumbered forward, growling and snarling angrily as he finally reached the short, red haired Harpie Lady. It took little time to take its claw and slam it into the Harpie, making it shatter into pixels.

The Zombie Master didn't even have to move as it lifted up its claws and begin chanting. A massive blast of purple lightning shot down from the skies above and struck the third Harpie Lady. She shrieked and exploded into pixels, but not before the Zombie Master was frozen into a solid stone statue.

"Yeah, I know about your little monsters draw back, not worried about it though," Matt shrugged. "I end my turn."

"Then I draw," Falco said, drawing his card and looked at it. A wicked smirk crossed his lips. "I first flip up my facedown, Wind Effigy!"

The facedown flipped up, and in his place appeared a large tornado that stayed where it was, the most notable feature was the large colorful wing coming out of the top of it. (1,800/200)

"I'm not scared, if that's what you were going for. That thing can't even beat Zombie Master!" Matt grinned.

"Oh, he's not gonna do anything, he's merely for Tribute Fodder. See, when he's on the field, he counts as two Tributes for Normal Wind Monsters!" Falco shouted, "So, I'm gonna offer him…for Simorgh, the Bird of Ancestry!"

The Tornado vanished as quickly as it came, and in it's place appeared a large bird, vaguely familiar to that of Simorgh, but it's feathers were all a glorious golden color, and it had four large wings, and a crown of feathers around it's head. (2,900/2,000)

"Whoa!" Michael shouted. "Now that's a monster!"

"It's also an EFFECT monster!" Matt shouted, complaining. "You said it could only be used for NORMAL wind Monsters!"

"Actually, if you wanna be TECHINCAL about it, when Simorgh is in my hand, he's considered a Normal Monster, so it makes it okay! So aside from that, he's got two more effects, so listen up! One, all my Wind monsters now take one less Tribute to summon them. Second, since I summoned Simorgh using only wind monsters…two cards on your side of the field are sent back to the hand!"

"What?!" Matt shouted in worry.

Vampire Genesis and Ryu Kokki suddenly groaned and tilted their heads down, before roaring and vanishing in a massive gust of wind.

The two cards appeared back in his hand, and suddenly the Zombie Master erupted from his stony confines. He screamed and exploded, followed by the Genesis Crisis card.

"What the?" Falco asked, confused at the moment.

"Yeah…that's the draw back to Genesis Crisis…it can only be played when Vampire Genesis is on the field…but if he leaves the field, it's destroyed and every monster on my side of the field goes with it…"

"Well, that just got things a whole lot easier, now didn't it?" Falco grinned, pointing forward. "Smorgh, attack him directly with Ancestral charge!"

Simorgh tilted it's head forward and screeched loudly, causing a loud echoing sound to come out and slam into Matt, who cringed as he took a step back.

**(Falco: 5,200) -- (Matt: 4,700)**

"I end my turn after that!" Falco said with a grin. "Let's see what you got in store now!"

"Draw!" Matt shouted, drawing his card quickly. He looked at it, along with the other cards in his hand. "Hm…" he mumbled, thinking deeply.

Then he smirked.

"Well, since I only have one Vampire Lord in my deck, I guess it makes Vampire Genesis pretty useless, doesn't it?" he grinned.

Falco didn't like where this was going…

"I play the spell card, Vampiric Ritual!" He shouted.

A massive portal appeared above the field…

"Now, by offering a total of monster who equal Level eight or higher, I can summon one of my greatest monsters. So, I offer Vampire Genesis…"

Vampire Genesis flew into the portal…a figure began to descend…

"And summon…Count Vampiris!"

The monster that descended from the portal above them was tall and frightening looking, with pale white skin and a very long sword. (3,300/1,000)

"Attack Simorgh!" he shouted, pointing a hand forward.

Vampiris nodded and grabbed the handle of his blade. He vanished…and reappeared on Falco's side of the field. Simorgh let out a cry of pain and exploded into golden feathers.

**(Falco: 4,800) -- (Matt: 4,700)**

Matt smirked as Vampiris flew back to his own side of the field. "Heh, that's gonna end my turn man, let's see if you got anything to counter that!"

"Yeah, let's see!" Falco drew his card and winced. Not…exactly what he was looking for.

"I…um…set one card facedown and end my turn…" he said, wincing a bit.

_I have to pray he doesn't summon a monster with 1,500 Attack Points or more…his Vampire Lady would take me apart!_

Matt drew his card, looked at it for a very brief moment, and slammed it on his disk. "I summon my Pyramid Turtle!"

In front of him appeared a rather large monster, a sand brown turtle about half as tall as the Vampire Genesis, with a massive pyramid on it's back, rather than a Shell. (1,200/1,400)

"Vampiris, attack him directly!" He shouted, pointing a hand forward.

_Okay, decision time! I could use my facedown card and buffer the damage, but I'll lose all my chances of winning…_

He winced as the sword sliced into his chest, and he fell flat on his back.

_Here's hoping it matters!_

He didn't get a chance to think the next thought as a billowing torrent of sand from the Pyramid turtle, and he winced heavily. The sand felt like little daggers that dug into his skin.

**(Falco: 300) -- (Matt: 4,700)**

"Falco!" Michael, Marie and Claire all shouted out in worry.

"Come on, kid!" Joey shouted, leaning over the railing. "Can't give up now! Show him what a Wheeler can do!"

"R-Right…" Falco grunted, getting up, only to fall back over. "Give me…ONE second." He chuckled. "That still kinda stings…"

Matt chuckled. "Well, Falco, ol' buddy, looks like I'm coming out on top this time!" Matt grinned. "I end my turn!"

"Like hell you do, Matt! Draw!" Falco drew his card quickly, and closed his eyes.

_Come on Wheeler luck, show me some love!_

He looked at the drawn card, and his eyes widened. Exactly what he needed!

"Okay, first, I'll play my facedown, Hysteric Party! You know the old saying; you can't keep a good monster down, well the same goes for three monsters!"

He discarded a copy of Birdface, and the trap card flipped up. In three flashes of light, Harpie Ladies One, Two and Three all appeared on the field in Attack mode.

"Now, I'm going to play one of my moms favorite Harpie Lady Accessories!" Falco pulled a card out of his hand and showed it to Matt…

"Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation!"

Matt gasped and took a step back. "What?!" Matt KNEW what this card did…

"That's right! Now, since I have three Harpie Ladies on the field, I can destroy at least three cards on your side of the field, and deal you Damage equal to the combined Attack points of the monster! What comes around goes around!"

The three Harpie Ladies leapt into the air and cried out as they were surrounded by a blue flame, until they were the shape of a large bird. It swooped downward…

The next moment, the entire arena exploded in a combination of wind, fire and screams. When the smoke cleared, there was only a burning crater where Count Vampiris and Pyramid Turtle just were.

Matt and Falco were now glaring at each other…however, they were both now laughing, as if they had just told a rather humorous joke.

**(Falco: 300) -- (Matt: 200)**

"Well, I guess one of us is about to lose." Falco said.

"Mhm." Matt agreed.

"If you by any chance manage to bring out your Vampiris or that Ryu Kokki that's still in your hand, I've had it. However…should your draw be dead, I've won."

The two rivals, friends, stared at each other.

"Let's see who's luck is better…"

Matt drew his card, and merely stared at it. He shook his head and smirked, presenting it to Falco.

Dark Dust Spirit.

"Well," Matt's eyes closed, "you may have beaten me this time, Falco…but next time?" he smirked. "You're going DOWN."

"Keep dreaming man!" Falco drew his card, didn't both to look at it and pointed forward. "Harpie Lady One, attack him directly and finish him off!"

Harpie Lady acknowledged this with a nod and dashed forward. She sliced the Zombie duelist with her claws….

**(Falco: 300) -- (Matt: 0)**

"The winner!" Roland shouted, holing up his right hand to Falco's direction. "Falco Wheeler!"

The crowd erupted into cheers as Falco, with his Wheeler blood rushing in his veins, took in all the glory.

Matt, deciding to keep up the mysterious edge to his persona, walked out slowly and calmly. He would congratulate his friend…in his own way.

As he walked into the building again, he pushed his sunglasses up his nose once more.

He didn't notice the knowing stare of Philip as he walked past.

_Interesting…_Philip thought. _He shows quite a bit of Promise…I wonder…_

He smirked as he walked into one of the rooms…

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**Zombie Werewolf  
Type**: Zombie/Effect/Dark  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,200/1,200  
**Stars**: 4  
**Effect**: When this monster is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the graveyard, Special Summon another "Zombie Werewolf" From your deck to the field. A monster Special Summoned in this manner has its ATK increased by 500.

**Vampire Bat  
Type**: Zombie/Effect/Dark  
**Attack/Defense**: 800/800  
**Stars**: 4  
**Effect**: When this monster is face up on the field, Increase the ATK of all ZOMBIE-Type Monsters on the field. You can discard one "Vampire Bat" From your hand or deck to prevent this card this card from behind destroyed as a Result of battle or Card effect (Damage Calculation is still applied, if applicable).

**Red Ghost Moon  
Type**: Trap  
**Image**: A blood red moon shining over a harvest crop.  
**Effect**: You may only activate this card when your Opponent Declares an Attack. Discard one ZOMBIE-type monster from your hand and end the Battle-Phase. Increase your Life Points by the Attacking monsters ATK.

**Genesis Crisis**  
**Type**: Spell/Continuous  
**Image**: Vampire Genesis erupting from the ground in a blast of energy.  
**Effect**: This card can only be activated when you have "Vampire Genesis" face up on your side of the field. Once per turn, you may add one ZOMBIE-Type monster from your deck to your hand. If "Vampire Genesis" is removed from the field, destroy this card. When this card is destroyed, destroy all face up monsters on your side of the field.

_Note: The above four cards were used by Camula in the Yugioh GX episode "Field of Screams". All Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**Harpie Lady – Sparrow Formation  
Type**: Trap  
**Image**: A large, fiery, brown sparrow in a circle of runes.  
**Effect**: You can only be activated when you have at least two face up "Harpie Ladies on your side of the field. For the Rest of this turn, all battle damage you take from your opponent becomes 0. All battle damage done to your monsters become 0.

**Harpie Lady – Phoenix Formation  
Type**: Spell  
**Image**: A large, blue, fiery Phoenix in the middle of a circle of runes.  
**Effect**: This card can only be activated when you have at least one face up "Harpie Lady" on your side of the field. Destroy monsters on your opponents' side of the field equal to the number of Harpie Lady(s) you have on your side of the field and deal damage to your opponents' life equal to the total combined attack of the destroyed monsters. You cannot conduct your battle phase this turn if you use this card.

_Note: "Harpie Lady-Sparrow Formation" And "Harpie Lady-Phoenix formation" Were first used by Mai in the Muli-Part episode "My freaky Valentine" All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**Winged Repayment  
Type**: Spell  
**Image**: The image was not clear on this card  
**Effect**: Pay 600 Life Points. Draw cards from your deck equal to the number of WINGED BEAST-type monsters on your side of the field. Cards drawn by this effect cannot be activated, summoned, or set during the turn you use this card.

**Summon Storm  
Type**: Spell  
**Image**: A Samurai in the middle of a glowing tornado  
**Effect**: Pay 800 Life Points. Special Summon one WIND-Monster that is Level Four or lower from your hand to the field.

_Note: "Summon Storm" And "Winged Repayment" were first used by Harpies' Brother in the Anime Episode "A New World Order". All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**Vampiric Ritual  
Type**: Spell/Ritual  
**Image**: A massive portal opening up amongst a horde of fiends  
**Effect**: This card is used to Ritual Summon "Count Vampiris". You must offer monsters on your side of the field or in your hand who equal 8 Stars or higher.

**Count Vampiris  
Type**: Zombie/Ritual/Dark  
**Attack/Defense**: 3,300/1,000  
**Stars**: 8  
**Effect**: This card can only be Ritual Summoned by the effect of "Vampiric Ritual". You must offer monsters on your side of the field or in your hand who equal 8 stars or higher.

_Note: "Vampiric Ritual" and "Count Vampiris" were created by Dueler King. All creative credit goes to him_

**8888888888888888888888888888888888888888**

I apologize for my long absence everyone, but there have been some technical problems with the site…not being able to log in…yeah…Anyway! I'm back and back to updating!

Next time, we see our favorite Corporate President go against someone whose ego is probably bigger than his! Will Kaiba be upstaged by this cocky duelist? Find out next time in "Ego VS Ego: Kaiba Duels!"


	8. Ego VS Ego Kaiba Duels

Disclaimer: Michael does not own Yugioh in any way shape or form--  
Michael: (pushes him off the stage) Yadda, yadda, yadda, we get it, let's get the party started all ready.

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Ego VS Ego: Kaiba Duels

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"I can't believe the first round matches are almost over," Claire commented as the group of friends walked down the hallway.

"It seems almost too good to be true," Falco shrugged.

"You guys are lucky," Michael groaned. "You guys got to duel! I haven't yet…"

"Oh calm down, Mike," Marie grinned, "There's only three more duels left; you've GOT to me one of them."

"With any luck, I'll be first," Michael crossed his arms and scowled.

He blushed when Claire kissed his cheek.

"Calm down baby," She giggled, "We'll all have chances, especially you. Just be patient!"

"Screw patient! I wanna duel!" he whined, scowling a bit before grinning.

"Well kid, if you wanna be technical, Kaiba, you and Yugi still haven't dueled," Joey told his sons friend, "so there's a good…one third chance you'll duel. Regardless, it's gonna be an awesome match." He grinned. "Despite the fact Kaiba's a blow hard…it should still be good."

"At least I don't focus on luck, Wheeler," Kaiba said from the doorway, eyes narrowing at the blonde hero, "Now if you're done talking to the kids, I believe the next choices for the next duel are coming to order," He walked past the small group, arms crossed and shirt tail flapping a little.

"Ohhhh that guy makes my blood boil…" Joey snarled.

"Joey, Joey, calm down," Yugi soothed, patting his friend on the arm, "Kaiba's no reason to get upset over…"

"Yeah…I guess…heh, this might finally be the time SOMEONE shuts him up," He grinned a little, hopefully.

"Eh…yeah Joey, of course," Yugi grinned with a bit of sweat drop.

**888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888**

The next few moments, and the remaining six duelists walked over to see the TV Roland had set up was all ready up.

"Welcome, remaining duelists! We are coming to a close on these duels, so let's see which one of you will be the one to duel next! Let's see!" he pressed a button, and all eyes turned to the screen.

The remaining six duelist's faces began to click quickly past the other, finally one of the screens clicked into place, revealing it to be Kaiba's face.

The CEO smirked and crossed his arms. "Like it was to be anyone else."

The final face clicked into place, the goateed young man known as Boris Popov would be his opponent.

It was odd. At that moment, both duelists looked to the other, and locked eyes.

Both sets of eyes narrowed, and Boris only said one word, and his voice had a thick, Russian Accent in it.

"I will destroy you…"

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"Please, Yugi, the day I lose to some muscle bound tank…" Kaiba said to Yugi as he slipped on his duel disk, "Well…that's the thing. I'm NOT going to lose."

"But Kaiba, I've heard a lot about this Boris guy," Yugi said, staring at his opponents back, "He's very strong…he doesn't hurt you, Life Point wise, only, he goes for your deck…" He said.

"Psh, there are plenty of ways to deal with a Deck Destruction deck, Yugi," he said, turning to face him. "Besides, he has no idea what he's getting himself into." He smirked smugly, "He has to duel Seto Kaiba, and he doesn't stand a chance…"

"It's that kind of arrogance that's going to make you pay the price, one day Kaiba," Yugi scolded, eyes narrowed.

"We'll see, Yugi," he said, walking past him, "In the mean time…I believe I have a duel to win."

The erupting cheers from the crowd were the only thing he heard that drowned out Yugi's warnings.

But wasn't just Kaiba they were cheering for, apparently Boris was also a crowd favorite. He walked onto the stage, his eyes narrowing the entire time, sizing up Kaiba as if he wasn't worth it.

"I still cannot believe they picked me to go against a worm such as you," Boris mumbled to himself, loud enough for Kaiba to hear.

"I could just as easily gone up against the king of games, but instead I must go against a maggot of your magnitude. You will not even be able to satisfy the monsters in my deck…"

He sneered.

:"You think you are such big shot because you have the so called Blue Eyes White Dragon cards." He smirked. "Those things are nothing but guppies when they face my deck! They're NOTHING!"

A large majority of the Audience began to go "Ooooh!" and boo at Boris.

Kaiba snarled and gripped his fist tightly.

"You have a pretty big mouth," Kaiba said, eyes narrowing darkly, possibly darkly than when they faced Dartz of even Marik. "How about I do the entire world a favor and shut it for you."

"Such big talk for such little person," Boris smirked, "It will be fun destroying you."

At the same time, both Duel Disks locked into place, and at the same time they both roared "LET'S DUEL!"

**(Kaiba: 8,000) -- (Boris: 8,000)**

"I believe I'll go first, just to show you what you're messing with." Kaiba commented, drawing his card quickly and looked at it. "I summon the Familiar Knight in Attack mode." He said.

In front of him appeared a knight in stainless steel armor, a large shield and large sword in his hand. He waved it and pointed it at Boris. (1,200/1,400)

"I set one more card facedown, and thus end my turn," Kaiba said, "Now let's see this legendary deck I've heard so much about…"

"Indeed you shall see! I draw my first card!" he announced as he indeed snatched the top card off his deck, looked at it and smirked, "Now then, the pain begins! I summon…Chain Repairer in Attack Mode!"

In front of him appeared a rather disturbing monster in front of him. The creature was over weight and wore a pair of overalls, had blood red eyes and carried a titanic mallet in his hand. (1,600/1,200)

"Hm?" Kaiba cocked an eyebrow. "That doesn't seem like a Deck Destruction card…" he mumbled.

"My deck is a unique blend of deck destruction, known as the Chains!" Boris chuckled, "We'll get to the main point of this later…Chain Repairer, attack the Familiar Knight!"

The lumbering ogre like creature lifted his mallet into the air and slammed it on the ground. A shockwave echoed from the mallet and struck the Familiar Knight, who groaned, took a step back and erupted into pixels.

"Heh, it shows how much YOU know," Kaiba sneered, "When Familiar Knight is destroyed in battle, we're both allowed to Special Summon a Level Four Monster in our Hands. And I'll summon my always trusty Vorse Raider!"

In front of him appeared a rather frightening monster, what appeared to be a cross between a warrior and a feral beast, a mouth full of razor sharp fangs, and the most notable feature was the massive sword in front of him. (1,900/1,200)

**(Kaiba: 7,300) -- (Boris: 8,000)**

"Hm?" Kaiba asked, cocking an eyebrow at the Life Points counter. "I lost 700? I should only have lost 400…"

"That is my Chain Repairer's Special Ability, foolish one, when he destroys a monster on your side of the field, you lose an addition 300 Life Points." Boris smirked.

"How lovely," Kaiba said, as if it mattered, very little, "Now you can Special Summon a monster in your hand, now do you choose to or are you just gonna sit there and waste the time I have?" he growled.

"I am afraid I have to be passing up such a generous offer." Boris said with a shrug, then took his next card and slid it into his field, "Then, to finish up my turn, one final facedown will complete my turn. Now come on little man, let's see what move you have to beat my ultimate deck."

Kaiba twitched and drew his card. He stared at it for a moment, and pointed forward. "Vorse Raider, attack his Chain Repairer!"

"I am to be chaining your monsters attack!" Boris shouted, "Trap card activate, Soul Anchor!"

His trap card lifted up, and what appeared to be a glowing ship anchor appeared in his hand. The Beast Warrior's sword slammed into the anchor, but the Chain Repairer remained on the field and sneered at the Vorse Raider.

"I am so sorry, but your puny little monster cannot defeat my Chain Repairer as long as Soul Anchor remains on him, it makes him invincible to all attacks!"

"But not your life points, I'm willing to bet," Kaiba smirked.

"Is such a cause for a Legendary deck such as mine," Boris shrugged.

**(Kaiba: 7,300) -- (Boris: 7,700)**

"Now then, I believe I'll end my turn," Kaiba said calmly, "But you should know, Chain Repairer is a weaker than my Vorse Raider, or did your tiny brain not come up with a solution for that yet?"

"Is that being so?" Boris asked as he drew his card and looked at it, "I believe I will have to fix that, because I just drew the card to complete my combo. I am summoning Chain Snake!"

A rather odd looking monster appeared to the field in front of him. It was indeed a snake, but had a long, iron chain wrapped around its body as it hissed. (800/1,200)

"And his ability is truly potent! Now, I can equip him to one of your monsters, and that monster in question loses 800 Attack and Defense points!"

The Chain Snake leapt forward and wrapped around Vorse Raider. The Beast Warrior groaned and seemed to droop a little. It changed from its original stats to (1,100/400).

"Now then, what was that about my monster being weaker than your monster, little boy?" Boris smirked.

Kaiba only glared.

"Chain Repairer, make this little boy face my awesome wrath, and take him down a notch."

The Chain Repairer growled and slammed his hammer on the ground and caused another shockwave to rumble forward. Vorse Raider and the Chain Snake exploded into pixels.

Kaiba winced as an aura surrounded him, draining him of 300 More Life Points.

**(Kaiba: 6,500) -- (Boris: 7,700)**

Just then, four cards flew off of his deck, and flew into his graveyard!

"Huh?" Kaiba asked, taking a step back and growled at Boris. "What did you do!?"

"That is my decks power! I weaken your monster, and you lose cards from your deck! Now, it's simple. When I destroy a monster that has my Chain Snake on it, you are to be losing the top cards of your deck, equal to that monsters Level!"

"Think you're so smart…" Kaiba growled, "Well I'll chain my monsters destruction to Flat LV 4!" he shouted, pointing to the card, "Since I lost a monster, we're both allowed to Special Summon a Monster from our deck to the field with Four Stars. I'll summon my La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp."

A lamp appeared at his feet, and the Mystic Genie appeared. He crossed his arms and chuckled a little. (1,800/1,000)

"I am so scared," Boris grinned, "I will be ending my turn now."

Kaiba drew his card and looked at it. He smirked and slid a card in. "I summon the Battle Ox in Attack mode!"

In front of him appeared one of his most well known cards. It was a large ox with a large battle axe in his hand, and red armor. (1,700/1,000)

"Now then, I know it would pointless, since your Monster won't be destroyed in your battle, but your Life Points are a different story! Battle Ox, La Jinn, attack his Chain Repairer!"

Battle Ox grunted and leapt into the air, axe ready and slammed it into the overweight beast's anchor, only to bounce off. La Jinn let out a cone of flames that were reflected off the stainless, glowing steel.

**(Kaiba: 6,500) -- (Boris: 7,400)**

"If you are done making truly pointless moves…" Boris mumbled, crossing his muscular arms.

Kaiba smirked and slid in one final card. "I set one card facedown, and end my turn."

"Then I will draw my own card," Boris drew his card and smirked. "Then I shall invoke the effect of my Chain Repairer! Once per turn, I am allowed to bring back a Chain monster from my Graveyard, as long as it is Level Four or lower! So I shall revive my Chain Snake!"

Beside the Chain Repairer appeared the Chain snake, hissing loudly. (800/1,200)

"Now, I shall use his effect to equip it onto your La Jinn!" he laughed.

The Chain Snake hissed and leapt forward. It wrapped itself around La Jinn, who moaned, drooped and fell to a score of (1,000/200).

"However, I cannot be attacking on the turn I use Chain Repairer's effect, so I must be ending my turn with this facedown card."

A facedown card appeared in behind the Chain Repairer, who chuckled rather darkly.

Kaiba drew his card and grinned a little bit. "Oh, if you wanna see true fear, I'll show you true fear! Now, I sacrifice my Battle Ox, and La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the lamp to summon…"

"Here it comes…" Joey said with a grin. Despite the fact he hated Kaiba with a passion, he still liked seeing THESE cards in action…

Battle Ox and La Jinn vanished into pixels of light…

"And summon the Legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

A massive bolt of light struck the field, and indeed, right in front of Kaiba appeared his most prized monster. A lumbering giant, with blue scales and white scales. The prized possession of Seto Kaiba. (3,000/2,500)

"So THIS is the Legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon…" Boris smirked, "I fail to see how it is legendary…"

Eyes narrowing, Kaiba snarled and pointed a hand forward. "Blue Eyes, attack his Chain Repairer with White Lightning!"

"Activate trap card!" Boris roared, pointing to his facedown, "No Entry!! This forces all of our monsters to switch to the Defensive Position!"

The Blue Eyes attempted to remain standing, but soon enough he was kneeling down, wings in front of his form and the Chain Repairer kneeled down.

Kaiba's eyes flared. "You're an annoying pest…"

"Why thank you," Boris chuckled. "I get that from all the pathetic worms who have no chance at defeating me," he smirked.

"Just shut up and go!" Kaiba shouted.

"Then I will and shall draw!" He drew his card and looked at his hand. His eyebrows went up, and he sneered. "I will begin by setting these two cards facedown, and summoning another copy of Chain Snake!"

A second Chain Snake appeared and hissed loudly. "Now then! I will equip it to your Dragon!"

The Snake hissed loudly and leapt forward, coiling around the large dragons neck. It roared as it constricted around it's neck. It changed to (2,200/1,700)

"How dare you…" Kaiba seethed, narrowing his eyes.

"How dare I? It's simple. I like to see you SQUIRM, Mr. Kaiba. You are nothing more than a pathetic duelist, and I am here to prove it!" He sneered. "I end my turn!"

"You idiot," Kaiba grinned. "One hundred more attack points, and you could have destroyed my dragon." He grinned. "I play the spell card, Enemy Controller! This allows me to switch your monster into attack mode!"

A massive video game controller appeared in front of him, and it's cable went into the Chain Repairer.

"Up, down, left, right, X, Y, Select!" He commanded.

The Chain Repairer stood up slowly, and held his hammer up.

"Now, I switch my Dragon to Attack Mode, and begin what he started! White Lightning!" He commanded.

The Dragon began to charge up its energy ball in its mouth, ready to release its rage on the overweight ogre…

"You idiot! I play my facedown, Wall of Revealing Light!"

A massive wall of pure light erupted up in front of him and guarded his entire field.

"Now, by paying Life Points in intervals of 1,000's, I can stop monsters who are weaker than that amount! I will pay 5,000 Life Points!"

There was a stunned silence. Did he REALLY just say he was going to pay over half of his Life Points?

"And you called ME stupid?" Kaiba asked, sneeringly, "You half 2,400 Life Points Now. That's not even enough to keep you alive for long…"

Boris smirked and tapped on his head, "You may think that, worm boy, but I do not wish to face your Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, should you even be able to summon it."

He narrowed his eyes.

"I am not a fool Kaiba, for I know what kind of power that beast has. Now if you don't mind, I will be drawing!"

He drew his card, quickly, and pointed to his second facedown card. "Now, I use the effect of my Life-Absorbing Machine," The facedown flipped up slowly, "Which means I gain half of what I paid, meaning I have a hefty sum coming back to me!"

**(Kaiba: 6,500) -- (Boris: 4,900)**

He looked at the card he just drew, and slid it in with a smirk, "now, I will be playing Rush Recklessly! This increases my monsters attack by 700, making it more than formidable for your so called, all powerful dragon!"

This was true, as the spell made the ogre rise to 2,300 Attack points, and he sneered.

"Attack the blue eyes, my faithful monster!"

The creature grunted and slammed his hammer down, making the ground shudder and made the Dragon rear up in pair. It roared, and finally exploded into pixels.

Kaiba's eyes flared even more.

"And let us not to be forgetting my Chain Snake's effect, you now lose the top eight cards of your deck to the graveyard!"

Kaiba watched as the eight cards flew off, and his eyes narrowed.

**(Kaiba: 6,100) -- (Boris: 4,900)**

Kaiba drew his card and looked at it. "Little punk…I set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn." He announced.

"That's bad…Kaiba's deck is focused on Defense," Yugi said, biting his lip, "When he goes to this it's usually bad news…"

"Awww, is that not cute?" Boris smirked, drawing his card, "Kaiba thinks that putting his monsters in Defense mode will stop me from getting to his deck! I play two very powerful, very dangerous spell cards. First, Paralyze Chain!"

The first Spell appeared on his side of the field, depicting the image of a young man wrapped in chains as his deck glows.

"Then, Poison Chain!"

A second spell appeared, depicting several monsters amongst a gathering of chains, large colorful numbers around them.

"Now, before I get to these, I'll use my Chain Repairer's effect, and bring back my Chain Snake!" he grinned.

The Chain Repairer gestured, and beside him appeared the Chain Snake.

"Now, I use Poison Chain's effect! If I choose not to conduct my battle phase this turn, I can now send cards from your deck to the graveyard equal to the combined Level of Chain monsters on my side of the field! So Chain Repairer has four, and Chain Snake has three…"

Seven cards flew off of Kaiba's deck, and he growled as little bit. He saw his second and third blue eyes in there…he was going to pay!

He didn't get a chance to retaliate as a sickly green aura appeared around him, and he groaned, just a little bit.

"Now, since you lost cards from your deck from a card effect, you now lose 300 Life Points!"

**(Kaiba: 5,800) -- (Boris: 4,900)**

"Kaiba can't catch a break!" Joey exclaimed. "Man, that guy's picking him apart! No matter what he does, he's gonna lose a lot of cards from his deck!"

"That's the part that worries me too Joey. He's lost a massive card in his deck, and he told me before the duel started he had about…50 cards in his deck this time around. And based on my count, he's down to his last nineteen…"

"Make that Eighteen." Michael said, watching as Kaiba drew his card and looked at it.

Kaiba sneered a little bit. "I'm a worm, as I Popov? I'll show you how much of a worm I really am. I play the Spell card, Cost Down! Now, by discarding a card lke this from my hand to the Graveyard…"

He discarded the Cave Dragon…

"And now, one monster in my hand loses two stars! So I'll summon the monster known as the Different Dimension Dragon!"

A multicolored portal opened up in front of him, and from it's depths appeared an emerald green dragon, with two split wings and a long neck. It let out a hiss and snarled. (1,200/1,500)

"A monster like that required a monster sacrifice to summon?" Boris sneered, "It's effect better be impressive for you…"

Kaiba only smirked. "Guess we'll have to see won't we?" he asked. "Since I can't attack, I have to end my turn…"

"You are making an idiot mistake, young Kaiba," Boris said with a smirk. "Chain Snake, equip yourself onto the Different Dimension Dragon!"

The Chain Snake hissed loudly and wrapped itself around the Dragon's neck. It moaned and fell to a grand total of (400/700).

"Chain Repairer, attack the Different Dimension Dragon!"

The Chain Repairer hefted his heavy mallet into the air and slammed it on the ground. The shockwaves shot forward and rattled the dragon, but made no different. The Dragon was still there.

"Huh?" Boris asked, blinking a little bit.

"And you call yourself a master," Kaiba smirked, "If you were, you would know the Different Dimension Dragon can't be destroyed in battle by monsters that have less than 1,900 Attack points." He smirked.

**(Kaiba: 4,600) -- (Boris: 4,900)**

"Actually, that's really smart…" Yugi mumbled stroking his chin.

"How so?" Michael asked, "From what I saw, he just stopped his monster from being destroyed…"

"Yes, but try to look at it this way. Different Dimension Dragon can't be destroyed in battle, and is pretty much impervious to card effects. Not only that, but it's got a Chain Snake on it, meaning it can't be accessed by Boris again!"

"oh yeah…" Joey smirked. "Come on Kaiba! Take this guy down a peg!"

"You're ROOTING for Kaiba, dad?" Falco blinked.

"Well…Yeah….I can't stand guys with Ego's as big as Kaiba's, but this guy just won't shut up! He makes Kaiba seem modest!" Joey complained. "Come on Kaiba!"

If Kaiba heard this, he was more or less ignoring it as he smirked. "Anything else you'd like to do, aside from embarrass yourself?" he smirked.

Boris looked at his hand, and slid one more card. "I summon my Chain Shooter to the field, and be ending my turn…"

In front of him appeared a large purple machine, with several chains coming from its body. It didn't exactly seem strong…(1,100/300)

Kaiba drew his card quickly, and looked at his new card. His eyes narrowed. "It's HER card…" he thought.

After staring at it, he smirked.

"How does she always know…?" He asked. He turned back to his opponent.

"I switch my Different Dimension Dragon to Defensive mode, and set one more card facedown." He announced.

The Dragon curled up on itself, and a facedown card appeared.

"I think that should do it." He said, nodding a little bit. "So come on Boris." He smirked. "Impress me."

Boris seethed and drew his card. When he saw what it was, he grinned a little. "You want to be impressed Kaiba lad?" He smirked. "You shall be impressed!"

"I summon my Chain Coil!" He laughed a little.

A rather humorous monster appeared in front of him. It's face round and colored yellow and red. Big, clear, googly eyes and arms made of chains. It seemed more robot than anything. (1,100/1,600).

"Now then…I am to be showing you as to how I'm so famous…let me explain, that Chain Coil is a new prototype monster known as…a Tuner Monster."

"Tuner monster?" Everyone in the VIP box asked, looking in it's direction.

Kaiba glared even more.

"Now, a tuner monster is required for something known as a Synchro Summon. See, it's a bit like a Fusion summon, but it doesn't require the pesky Polymerization card to use. See, if I have a Tuner monster on the field, I can send him, and a monster on my side of the field to summon a Synchron monster! So long as the monsters I sent are equal to the summoned monsters level. So I send my Level Four Chain Coil and my Level Two Chain Shooter…to summon my mightiest beast!"

Both monsters vanished into whirlwinds of light, and a massive monster began to appear.

"Appear before me…the Chain Dragon!"

A massive monster appeared with a roar on his side of the field. It was a fearsome thing, with midnight black scales, and, like all of the other monsters he had used that in this deck, had many chains crisscrossing across its hide. It let out a low snarl as its fangs glistened in the light Kaiba Land was getting, and it roared. (2,500/2,000)

Kaiba took a step back, and a few people gasp.

"So that's a Synchro monster…" Michael mumbled, eyes shining in awe. "It's awesome…"

"And it's also powerful!" Boris exclaimed, as if he heard the young duelist. "He now gains 200 Attack points for every chain monster in my Graveyard. And I just sent Chain Snake, Chain Coil and Chain shooter there for a grand total of 600 Attack points!"

(2,500/2,000) -- (3,100/2,000)

"Now then…where was I?" Boris smirked. "Ah yes, Chain Dragon, attack the Different Dimension Dragon!"

The Dragon snarled, as it's chains around it's body began to glow a bright purple color. They all shot forward and slammed into the Different Dimension Dragon, who roared in pain and exploded into pixels.

Since another Chain Snake was in the graveyard, the Dragon rose to 3,300 Attack points.

Kaiba looked down at his deck, watching the first five cards fall off his deck…and then another five cards fell off!"

"What!?" Kaiba shouted, but groaned again and Paralyze Chain worked it's effect, and he was sent another 300 Points. It activated again, and he lost even more.

"It is the effect of my Chain Dragon!" he smirked. "Not only did you lose cards off your deck because of my Chain Snake, but when my monster destroyed your monster, you lost five more cards off your deck with his effect: When he destroys an opponent's monster in battle, you lose cards equal to the level of the destroyed monster!"

Kaiba snarled a little bit, his eyes narrowing. _I just lost Ten cards in one attack…I'm down to my last six cards when I draw…_

"Now then, Kaiba. Let us to be seeing what you can do this turn. Because you lose during my next turn!"

"We'll see." Kaiba said, drawing his card and stared at it. He added it to his hand, and bowed his head. "I end my turn…" He mumbled.

"Wonderful! It is my draw then!" Boris drew his card, and smirked. "Now then, I could just as easily attack you and be done…but I'll use the effect of my Poison chain, and make you discard 14 cards from your deck!"

"No!" Yugi gasped, watching this.

"Come on Kaiba!" Joey shouted.

The remaining six cards flew out of Kaiba's deck, and Kaiba could only laugh. "Looks like I'm still in this…"

"Of course, since you won't lose by discarding cards…only when you draw them." Boris scoffed. "It matters not. The second I end my turn, you'll lose…"

"If I dind't have a facedown!" Kaiba countered. "This was given to me by someone special to me, and apparently she knew I would need it!"

His trap card flipped up slowly…

"Exchange of the Spirit!"

Boris' eyes bugged out of his sockets.

"What!?" Boris screamed in pure horror.

"You heard me! Now, I can only play this when I have Fifteen or more cards in my graveyard…and thanks to you, I have my entire deck in there! Now we have to switch out the card in our decks with the ones in our graveyard, meaning I just got my second wind!"

Boris snarled as he took what remained in his graveyard, and replaced it with the cards in his deck.

The Chain Dragon's score adjusted to 3,800, and it roared.

"You are not going to get out of this that easily, Kaiba!" he snarled. "I still have my Wall of Revealing Light on the field, and my mega rare Chain Dragon on the field! I refuse to lose to you!" he snarled.

Kaiba smirked as he drew his card. "You make it seem like you have a choice." He looked at his new card, and slid it facedown. "I set one card facedown, and play my ever faithful, Card of Demise. This allows me to draw until I have five cards in my hand. Meaning I draw four cards."

He drew his cards, and looked at them. His eyes shined, and he smirked. "Now then, I'll play Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two more cards!" he drew his two cards, looking at his new six card hand.

"Now then, I believe you lost, Boris." He smirked.

"And how so? I still have my Wall of Revealing Light, keeping you at bay!"

"No, that's why I have this new monster, known as the Montage Dragon! To summon something this powerful, I have to discard three monsters in my hand, and as a result, I add the Levels of my monsters together, multiply it by three hundred, and it gains that many attack!"

"And just what are you discarding?" Boris smirked.

Kaiba released his own smirk, and flipped the three cards around, and everyone in the Audience gasped.

The Three Blue Eyes White Dragons!

He slid the cards into the graveyard, and in a massive blast of energy appeared a three headed dragon with tan scales, and a body build to match that of the blue Eyes White Dragons. The three headed beast roared and bent all three heads back.

"Now tell me," Kaiba grinned. "How fast can you do twenty four times three hundred?"

(7,200/0)

Boris took a step back in horror…

"Montage Dragon, attack the Chain Dragon!"

All three heads began to gather a large blob of rainbow energy in its three mouths, and it let loose a chaotic energy blast that struck the monster. The Dragon took a step back, groaned, roared and finally exploded.

**(Kaiba: 2,700) -- (Boris: 1,500)**

"That…is why….you will never…succeed!" Boris snarled as he struggled to get up. "You could have just as easily…won by attacking Chain Repairer! Now…I can find a way to bring this around, come my next turn!"

"You won't get a next turn, Boris…" Kaiba said. "I play the spell card, Sacrificial Rebirth!"

The Quick-Play spell appeared on the field.

"Now, since I summoned a monster that forced me to discard three monsters, or forced me to sacrifice three monsters on the field, I can destroy the monster on the field, and Special Summon the three monsters I used to summon him!"

The Montage Dragon vanished into pixels, and in it's place appeared the three Blue Eyes! (3,000/2,500) X 3

"And I still have my Wall of Revealing Light!" Boris countered. "You'll never get past!"

Kaiba smirked, and showed Boris a card, one that made him gulp heavily.

Mystical Space Typhoon…

The Cyclone blasted forward and crashed through the Wall of Revealing Light, causing it to shatter like fragile glass and crash to the ground. Boris fell to his knees…

"Blue Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba roared, and even as he said that his three Blue Eyes began to charge up their deadly blasts, "Attack the Chain Repairer with White Lightning!"

The three dragons shot out their white blasts of energy, and all three slammed into the Chain Repairer.

There was a titanic explosion.

**(Kaiba: 2,700) -- (Boris: 0)**

When the smoke cleared, Boris was on the ground, clearly knocked out.

"The winner! Seto Kaiba!" Roland shouted, as the entire arena erupted into cheers.

Kaiba smirked and began to walk off towards the door.

"That was awesome Kaiba! You totally schooled him!" Joey smirked.

"Like there was any doubt, Wheeler?" Kaiba said smugly, looking towards Kaiba. "I don't intend to lose, Yugi. I plan on making this tournament the one you lose in…" And with that, merely walked out of the room.

Joey glared. "Can't believe it…now I'm starting to wish he lost."

**888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888**

Matt was wondering how it got to this…He can't even remember how this duel got started, but all he knew was he was in for the fight of his life…

All he had on his side of the field was Lava Golem and about…1,200 Life Points.

His opponent was none other than Philip, and his Field was a little bit more packed. With 3,000 Life Points remaining, he had Gil Garth, Helpoemer, Bowganian and Dark Jeroid.

"My Draw!" Matt shouted, and winced as he fell to 200 Life Points. He looked at his card and smirked. "Now, I offer my Lava Golem to play Vampiric Ritual!"

The massive portal appeared in the air, and in the Lava Golem's place appeared the Lord Vampiris! (3,300/1,000)

"Attack Bowganian, my creature of the night!" he shouted.

Vampiris dashed forward and with one swipe of his sword sliced the Dark Machine in half.

If Philip cared he lost 2,000 Life Points, he sure didn't show it.

He drew his card, and smirked. "now, comes the morning of your discontent! I offer my three monsters…"

His three monsters vanished…

There was an echoing scream from the hallway…

When we came back, only the titanic, dark figure Philip summoned was left, and Matt, now slouched over.

"Now…that wasn't so hard, now was it?" Philip asked with a smirk, walking over to the now dead looking Matt.

"No master…" he groaned.

"Good boy…now then, follow me…" he walked off, Matt close behind him.

"We have much planning to do…"

**888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888**

**Chain Repairer**  
**Type**: Warrior/Effect/Earth  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,600/1,200  
**Stars**: 4  
**Effect**: When this monster destroys an opponents monster as a result of battle, deal 300 Points of Damage to your opponents Life Points. Once per turn, during your main phase, you may Special Summon one Level Four or lower "Chain" monster from your Graveyard (Except "Chainsaw insect", Chain Thrasher", "Amazoness Chain Master" or "Chain Repairer") If you do this, this card cannot attack this turn.

**Chain Snake**  
**Type**: Reptile/Effect/Earth  
**Attack/Defense**: 800/1,200  
**Stars**: 3  
**Effect**: During your Main Phaseyou can treat this card as an Equip Card and equip it to a face up monster your opponent controls as a Equip Card. The equipped monster loses 800 ATK and DEF. If the equipped monster is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, the equipped monster's controller sends from top of his deck a number of cards equal to the Level of the equipped monster.

**Chain Shooter  
Type**: Machine/Effect/Earth  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,100/300  
**Stars**: 2  
**Effect**: Send one monster with "Chain" in it's name other than this card on your side of the field to the Graveyard. Inflict Damage to your opponents Life Points equal to the Original ATK of the monster sent to the Graveyard. This effect can only be used once per turn.

_Note: Let it be known in the Anime, the Defense Points of this monster is unknown. I merely took a guess._

**Chain Coil  
Type**: Machine/Effect/Earth/Tuner  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,100/1,600  
**Stars**: 4  
**Effect**: Select one "Chain" monster on your side of the field. The selected monster gains 300 ATK and DEF. This effect can only be used once per turn.

**Chain Dragon  
Type**: Dragon-Synchro/Effect/Earth  
**Attack/Defense**: 2,500/1,300  
**Stars**: 6  
**Effect**: Tuner + 1 or More non-tuner monsters

Increase the ATK of this card by 200 Points for each monster with "Chain" in it's name in your Graveyard. When this card destroys an opponents monster by battle you can send a number of cards from the top of your Opponents deck equal to the Level of the Destroyed monster.

**Soul Anchor**  
**Type**: Trap/Continuous  
**Image**: A unknown figure holding up a glowing anchor.  
**Effect**: You can only activate this card by targeting a monster with "Chain" in it's name. After activation, this card is treated as an equip card and equip it to the targeted monster. The Equipped monster cannot be destroyed as a result of battle.

**Poison Chain**  
**Type**: Spell/Continuous  
**Image**: A Chain Coil amongst several crisscrossing chains, with colorful numbers around them.  
**Effect**: If you haven't conducted your battle phase this turn, you can send a number of cards from the top of your opponents Deck equal to the combined Total Levels of monsters with "Chain" in their names face up on your side of the field to the Graveyard.

**Paralyze Chain**  
**Type**: Spell/Continuous  
**Image**: A young man wrapped in chains as his deck glows.  
**Effect**: Inflict 300 Points of Damage to your opponents Life Points whenever card(s) are sent to the Graveyard from the deck with a card's effect.

_Note: The above cards were used by Takusa in a Future Episode of "Yugioh 5D's" all creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. Note, they will be used in a future pack, the Crossroads of Chaos._

**Montage Dragon**  
**Type**: Dragon/Effect/Earth  
**Attack/Defense**: ?/0  
**Stars**: 8  
**Effect**: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned by sending three cards in your hand to the Graveyard. This card's ATK is 300 X The total Level of monsters sent to the graveyard when this card was Special Summoned.

_Note: Montage Dragon is a card that will be released in the future pack "Duelist Genesis"_

**Flat LV 4  
Type**: Trap  
**Image**: An Axe Raider with the words "LV 1" "LV 2" "LV 3" and "LV 4" above him.  
**Effect**: Activate this card only when a monster you control is destroyed in battle. Both players special summon one LV 4 monster from their deck.

_Note: Flat LV 4" was first used by Kaiba in the anime episode "One Step Ahead (PT. 1)" all creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**Sacrificial Rebirth  
Type**: Spell/Quick-Play  
**Image**: A Gilford the Lightning striking Dark Ruler Ha Des, and behind him are Marauding Captain, Command Knight and Blade Knight fly in behind him  
**Effect**: Send one monster on your side of the field that required you to discard three monsters from your hand, or sacrifice three monsters on the field to the graveyard. Special Summon the three monsters used to summon the monster.

**888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888**

Next up is Michael's turn, and he's going up against a deck that's rather…unique in a sense. Can he beat this nature loving, beast lover? Find out next time on "Walk on the Wild Side"


	9. Walk on the Wild Side

The sound of feet hitting the concrete was the only sound that could be heard in the dismal hallway

Michael: (With the Disclaimer guy behind him, tied to a chain with a gag in his mouth) I believe we've discussed the fact I don't own Yugioh in any way shape or form, isn't that right? Enjoy the chapter all!

**888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888**

Walk on the Wild Side

**888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888**

"One hundred thirteen…one hundred fourteen…one hundred fifteen…"

"Dude's a beast," Falco commented, "And trust me, I know beasts…"

Currently, the four friends were watching the boy known as Jayce do his pull ups in the lobby of the area, his face red, sweat pounding down his face as he grunted with each increasing number.

"Wonder what one has to eat on a daily basis to get that tough…" Marie mumbled her eyes watching the movement of his muscles as though hypnotized.

"Maybe bovine growth hormones…and a LOT of red meat" Michael mumbled in return.

Jayce chose not to hear them, and fell to the ground, rolling his shoulders and didn't stick to check out his muscles like most people would do. Instead, he threw on his t-shirt and his vest again, threw on his hat and walked past them all.

"He's a weird one, he is…" Claire mumbled a little. "I swear, when it was during our breaks, he was outside, and he was talking to the birds…_talking…_"

"Anyway…" Falco said. "Have any of you seen Matt around here?" Falco asked.

"No, I was about to ask YOU the same question…" Claire said, looking up at him. "You haven't seen him at all?"

"Not since I beat him…I'm starting to get worried…where could he be?" Falco asked, he was starting to get worried, Matt may have been notoriously antisocial but he wouldn't miss out on seeing how the rest of the tournament played out…

"Meh, he's a big guy!" Marie said, nudging him gently. "I'm sure he can take care of himself babe…" She assured.

"I guess…" Falco murmured. "Just got a feeling...ya know?" He asked her, crossing his arms.

There was a pregnant pause. It was true, everyone else seemed to share the feeling that something else was going on beneath the workings of Kaiba's tournament, and somehow Matt may have gotten involved.

"So," Said a familiar snide voice from behind the children, "Your Wheeler's kid am I right?" Kaiba asked looking the newest generation in the Wheeler family up and down.

Falco turned around, slowly albeit and nodded. "Last time I checked yeah, you have a problem with that?"

"I must say…" Kaiba said, narrowing his eyes. "You're not exactly the goof I figured you would be if that last duel you had was any indication you might have a bit of promise."

"Gee, thanks," Falco said, rolling his eyes. "Hearing such heartfelt  
words from the man who humiliated my father in every major tournament, social  
gathering and casual conversation he could manage…it means so much to me I  
think I'm gonna cry."

Rather then take offence the CEO of KaibaCorp merely gave a small grin.

"Heh, spunk, I like that," he said. "Obviously get it from your mother…"

"Yeah, I get that a lot," he said. "Can I help you with anything, sir?" He said saying the 'sir' part with a little disdain.

Kaiba smirked. "Just getting to know the competition," he said walking a bit around Falco. "And since unlike your old man you seem to have a bit more then just blind luck on your side I'll give you a little bit of advice; keep your friends close and your enemies closer…"

He looked off to the side to Yugi and Joey a hungry look in his eyes that made him seem like a wolf eyeing his next meal before giving a chuckle.

"After all, it's been working out for me pretty well so far. In any case good luck in the matches to come, believe me if you're unfortunate enough to come between me and my rematch with Yugi your going to need it." he said walking off.

"OOH that guy's just asking for an ass kicking!" Falco steamed, gripping a fist. "Now I know how dad feels…how the heck can he even put up with him?!"

"With great stupidity comes great, great patience…" Michael mumbled.

"What was that?!"

"Nothing!"

"Boys…" Claire and Marie sighed and shook their heads. They caught this, smiled at each other and giggled.

A shadow suddenly went flying right behind Michael, and he looked up in surprise.

"What the…"

"What's wrong?" Marie asked her friend.

He looked behind him, uncertainly, shuddered a little bit and shrugged. "N-Nothing…" he mumbled, more to himself than the others.

All jumped to attention upon hearing the three familiar dings from the over head.

"Well, that's the next round announcements," Falco said. "Come on man, maybe this'll be your moment!"

"I hope so…I haven't gotten to duel even ONCE so far, I want to duel somebody...ANYBODY!" He said as he walked back to the arena his friends close behind

The shadow in question, now hanging from the ceiling, let out a long, drawn out sigh. "That was FAR too close…even for me…"

"Well? Have you confronted him yet?" Asked the voice from his ear piece making the shadow wince as he got an earful of feedback.

"Not yet," he said, adjusting the volume. "I believe you said I would know when to confront him?"

"I know, I know…" sighed the voice, "But…simply…you know what I mean! Monitor his movements…make sure nothing happens to him!"

"Of course," he nodded a little, and jumped down from the light. He then vanished from the shadows, but it was obvious he was still there.

**888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888**

"Welcome once again, one and all to the penultimate round of the Kaiba Corp Grand Prix!" Called out Roland, shooting his hand up into the air to express the matter.

The crowd in question erupted into cheers.

"We're down to our last two duelists, one of which is the king of games himself, Yugi Muto!"

That got the crowd screaming, making the young man grin and wave a little bit at the others.

"Let's see who's up for the next duel, eh guys?" Roland asked as the TV rose up from the ground, and it rapidly began to spin between the last remaining duelists.

The crowd chose this moment to chant Yugi's name over and over again.

However, the first picture slammed into place, showing Michael who, unlike the groaning audience, pumped his arm in excitement.

His opponent would be Jayce, and the young boy showed equal excitement.

"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! Our next duel shall be Michael VS Jayce!"

Once more, the audience groaned, wanting to see Yugi duel.

_Well…not exactly getting the popular vote here…_Michael thought.

**888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888**

"You're gonna do fine, man," Falco said, patting him on the back, "I mean…he looks a bit weird…and he's probably a pro…"

"…Dude, you suck at pep talks…" Michael said, strapped on his duel disk and began to walk out.

He stopped, of course, when Claire kissed him on the cheek. She giggled. "For luck," Was all she said before backing away.

Michael grinned, blushed and walked out onto the field, where Jayce all ready was.

"Are the duelists ready?" Roland asked. After both of them gave their nods, he took a step back, "Then…BEGIN!"

"DUEL!"

**(Michael: 8,000) - - - - - - - - (Jayce: 8,000)**

"I'll go first, if it's not too much trouble," Jayce said, drawing his card and looked at it. He smirked.

"I first play the spell card, Stampede."

A spell appeared on his side of the field, showing a massive horde of Battle Ox tearing apart the field, Pandemonium.

"This is a double edged sword, so here's how it goes!" Jayce exclaimed, with a smile. "Whenever one of my Beasts or Beast Warriors attacks, he gains 500 Attack Points. However, he gains the drawback a Steamroid would have, and loses 500 Attack points."

He looked at the rest of his hand.

"However, to keep it simple, I'll just set one final monster facedown, and end my turn."

A monster appeared on his side of the field, and Michael cocked an eyebrow.

"Okay then, if we want to start off slow, I'll do the same," he said, looking at his hand. He hummed, and chose a card. "Then I'll set this monster in defense, and end my turn."

A monster like Jayce's appeared on his side of the field.

Jayce drew his own card and scowled. "Darn….guess I end my turn again."

Michael drew his card.

_Let's see, if my time with Drake's taught me anything, there are two monsters I should really be careful about regarding beasts. One is Des Koala, and that can hurt depending on the number of cards in my hand…_

_The other is Des Kangaroo, and if I summon something weaker than that, then the monster I attacked with is destroyed, and I'm screwed still!_

He sighed. He plucked a card from his hand, and showed it to the opponent. "Well, I can try or pass, and I think I'll try! I summon Horus, the Black Flame Dragon LV4!"

The first form of his key card, Horus appeared in front of him with a loud caw, and snarled at Jayce. (1,600/1,000)

Jayce seemed to notice how angry the monster was, and much to Michael's shock cawed out in the same form Horus just did!

"What the…" Michael said eyes wide. And then, Horus cawed back.

Both of them nodded.

"Okay then, false alarm." Jayce chuckled.

"What the HELL was that?" Michael asked, blinking several times.

"Eh…that's a story for another time,' Jayce said quickly, "anyway, you were saying?"

"Eh…right…" He said. "Horus, attack his defense with Black Burst Blast!"

Horus inhaled deeply and let loose an impressive fireball and the facedown Jayce had flipped up…

It was quite an odd looking monster. It looked like a horse at first glance, but no horse Michael had ever seen. It had two heads, and was split in half by a color, one half black, one half red. It neighed and kicked at the fireball, it's being crackling with electricity. (700/2,000)

"What the hell is THAT?" Michael asked, blinking.

"Heh, that's my Phantom Beast Thunder Pegasus!" Jayce laughed. "But we'll get to him in a second…do you wanna do anything else?"

Michael gritted his teeth and looked at his hand. "I'll set one more card facedown, and end my turn…"

**(Michael: 7,600) - - - - - - - (Jayce: 8,000)**

Jayce drew his card, and nodded to it. "I summon one of my favorite cards, Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts!"

The next monster was just as odd, a large, bipedal lion like creature with a single horn in the center of its forehead. It roared and snarled, getting ready to pounce… (1,500/1,200)

"And let's not forget the deadly effect of my Stampede card, now when he attacks he gains a grand total of 500 Attack Points! Carve up that bird, Gazelle!"

Gazelle let out an echoing roar as he blasted forward on all fours like an animal. It's attack score went up to 2,000, and it pounced on Horus. After raking it's claws against the metallic bird, it jumped away as it shattered.

"Gah…" Michael hissed, but pointed to his facedown. "I play LV Limit. When a monster on my side of the field is destroyed, I can special summon a Level four or Lower LV monster from my deck. So I'll special summon my Armed Dragon LV3!"

As the remnants of Horus evaporated into the wind, the small, orange, weapon coated monster appeared with an innocent chirp. (1,200/900)

"Heh, hey there little guy." Jayce chuckled a little.

Michael grinned a bit. "Anything else you wanna do?" he asked.

"Nope, I think that's about it for me," the Beast duelist shrugged.

"My turn!" Michael shouted, drawing his card quickly and looked at it. He added it to his hand, and pointed to his Armed Dragon.

"Now, I'm allowed to sacrifice my Armed Dragon for his next, tougher form! Come on out, Armed Dragon LV5!"

The small dragon began to glow a bright light, and in its place appeared the rust red skin, and heavier artillery. (2,400/1,700)

"Now then, onto my Dragon's effect!" he pulled a card out of his card and showed it to his opponent, revealing it to be a Mystic Swordsman LV2.

"By discarding one monster card in my hand, I'm allowed to destroy one monster on your side of the field with less Attack than the monster I'm destroying! So, I'm discarding my 900 Attack Swordsman, to destroy your 700 Attack Point Thunder Pegasus!"

The Dragon flexed its muscles and the spikes on its shoulders blasted off, as if they were small rockets. They peppered the horse, and blasted it to pieces.

"Now that that's out of the way," Michael said, "I'll have my Armed Dragon LV5 attack your Gazelle, and thanks to what YOU told me, he now loses 500 Attack Points!"

The Dragon roared and began to activate its knuckles, which were small drills and flew forward. Gazelle fell to 1,000 Attack Points…

However, as the fist would have connected with the lion like creature, a crackling wall of lightning struck between them, and the dragon roared in both pain and shock. Gazelle had been left unharmed.

"What the…" Michael blinked in shock.

"Heh, that's the power of my Phantom Beast Thunder Pegasus," laughed Jayce, "See, if you should try to attack any Phantom Beast or Gazelle on the field, I can remove him from play, and nothing happens! He's not destroyed, and my life points don't get hurt!"

Michael hissed. "Fine…I end my turn…"

Jayce drew his card, and looked at his hand. He smiled a little bit. "Okay, first, I'm gonna use the spell card, Graceful Charity! I'm sure you know what this does…"

Jayce drew his cards, then looked at them. He wasted no time as he discarded two cards, Michael recognized one as Wild Nature's Release, but the other one was one he hadn't heard of before, Phantom Beast Cross Wing.

Suddenly, Gazelle glowed with a golden light, and his scores adjusted to (1,800/1,200).

"How did he get stronger?" Michael asked.

"When I have a Phantom Beast Cross Wing in my graveyard, all of my Gazelle's and Phantom Beasts' on the field gain an addition 300 Attack Points!"

He took another card from his hand.

"So, let's show up another member of the Phantom beasts! Phantom Beast Wild Horn!"

The next monster that appeared was more intimidating than odd looking. It looked like a bipedal buck, horns long and sharp, with thick, skin armor and a massive sword in its right hand. It snorted. (1,700/0) -- (2,000/0)

"Now, Wild Horn, take out that Armed Dragon LV5 with your bucking slice!" Jayce commanded, but it sounded more like a guttural roar…

Wild Horn took this to heart and roared, charging horns first, as bucks usually did. He rose to 2,500. However, as he approached the Dragon, he swung his sword, and the dragon exploded.

Michael winced.

"Gazelle, attack his facedown monster!" Jayce said, this time his voice sounding a bit more of a growl.

Gazelle roared and rose to 2,300 Attack points, dashing forward and tackled the facedown monster. It was revealed to be a hideous treasure chest like monster before it shattered.

"That's my Dark Mimic LV1," Michael said, "When he's flipped up, I'm allowed to draw a card."

He drew a card, and Jayce laughed.

"Heh, go ahead," Jayce said, "You'd just better have a good monster in your hand. Because if you can't, Wild Horn can hurt you through your defense monsters!"

"Yeah, we'll see about that!" Michael exclaimed, drawing his sixth card and looked at it all.

"I play the Spell Card, Level Repeat!" He showed him the card, "With this card, I can take any LV monster I want from my graveyard and add it back to my hand, so I'll take my Horus!"

The card slipped out, and he added it to his hand. He then played the card, and a blast of fire erupted from the field, signaling Horus' arrival. (1,600/1,000)

"Now, Horus!" Michael began. "Attack Wild Horn!"

Horus snarled and opened it's beak, releasing the massive blast fireball. Wild Horn groaned as he fell to 1,500 Attack Points, and screamed as he was immolated.

"Ergh…" Jayce groaned.

"Bout time he lost some Life Points!" Falco cheered, pumping a fist.

**(Michael: 7,100) - - - - - - - (Jayce: 7,900)**

Michael looked at his hand, and grinned. "I set one more card facedown and end my turn, and because Horus destroyed one of your monsters, he goes to the next level!"

Horus erupted into a black fire, and like that changed into his next form, the larger form appeared with a loud caw. (2,300/1,600)

Jayce drew his card and smiled at it. "Okay, that works well. I summon the monster known as Phantom Beast Howler Monkey!"

The result of the next monster was rather humorous, a loud shrieking that accompanied it's summoning. A large, white, howler monkey with a large axe in it's hands appeared. It shrieked loudly. (1,600/200) -- (1,900/200)

_Oh, come on…_Michael thought, wincing.

"Howler Monkey, attack Horus LV6 with Monkey Shrieker!"

The Howler Monkey howled loudly and dashed forward, and almost gruesomely slammed the axe into the giant Bird like creature. Horus roared loudly as he was cut down.

Michael then screamed as he glowed with a white light.

"Ow…" He moaned. "What was that?"

"My Howler Monkey's effect," Jayce said with a calm smile, "When I control another Phantom Beast or my Gazelle, who's obviously here, when he destroys a monster as a result of battle, you take damage equal to my Monkey's attack!"

**(Michael: 4,600) - - - - - - - (Jayce: 7,900)**

"Now!" Jayce shouted, "Gazelle, attack directly!"

Gazelle howled loudly and began to dash forward, spittle flying from its maw…

"Activate facedown card!" Michael shouted, pointing to his facedown revealing it to be Call of the Haunted.

The Armed Dragon LV 5 appeared with a loud roar, and snarled angrily at the duelist. (2,400/1,700)

Gazelle stopped in mid pounce, and landed on all fours again. It snarled at the Armed Dragon, and leapt back into place on Jayce's field.

"Hm, I gotta say that's clever…" Jayce chuckled a little bit. "So I'll end my turn! Let's see whatcha got!"

"Draw!" Michael shouted. He had to admit, he was having a little bit of fun with this duel…no taunting, and no insults…felt like a regular duel he had all the time at Duel Academy!

Looking at his hand, he chuckled a little bit. "Okay then, I'm getting a bit restless, so how's about we level the playing field a little, literally!"

He showed him a card from his hand, and showed it to be a monster called Dark Lucius LV8. He discarded it, and the Armed Dragon began to growl.

"I'm discarding my 2,800 Attack Point fiend here, and destroying your 1,900 Primate friend!"

The Dragon in turn roared and flexed its muscles and the spikes on its shoulders once more. They peppered the monkey and through the shrieking and explosions, it was evident he exploded.

"Now then, time to finish off that thing!" Michael exclaimed, pointing forward to Gazelle, who took a step back, "Armed Dragon, attack Gazelle!"

Armed Dragon roared loudly and charged forward, his arms pin wheeling in an almost comical fashion, but when the fists hit Gazelle it was anything but funny. Gazelle groaned weakly and exploded into pixels.

**(Michael: 4,600) - - - - - - - (Jayce: 6,800)**

"Heh…not bad!" Jayce chuckled, "Now, should memory serve me, I think that handsome lunk turns into the Level 7 form?"

"Eh, actually, yeah." Michael said, seemingly a little impressed. "I guess I end my turn."

The Armed Dragon was soon covered in a white light, and it shot upwards in height.

When the light was done, the figure that appeared was very intimidating. The Dragon was now covered in armor, and the neck was elongated, with large steel wings and a massive drill for a tail. (2,800/1,000)

"Yep, kinda figured," Jayce said, drawing another card and looked at his new cards. He grinned a little bit and slide two cards into his disk, and another monster facedown.

"I think my turn can be kept simple, and just put two facedown cards on the field, and keep a monster out to protect me for a turn."

Michael cocked an eyebrow as he drew his card, and didn't waste any time.

"Well, if you insist! Now then, Armed Dragon, attack that facedown card with Dragon Talon Terror!" Michael roared.

The Armed Dragon rose up its right hand and brought it down on the facedown card. The cackling, one eyes Morphing Jar appeared on it, and exploded.

"Well, I think we know what to do." Jayce said as he discarded his hand.

"Lord knows I do," Michael sighed as he followed suite, discarding his current hand.

Both players then drew an additional five cards, and Michael smirked.

_Now THIS is what I'm talking about!_

"Okay dude, I guess that'll end my turn for now…" Michael began, but noticed one of his facedown cards was lifting up.

"Heh, and during your end phase I'll enact my facedown cards, Scapegoat!"

The facedown vanished, and in its place appeared the four, blissfully happy multicolored sheep. (0/0) X 4

"Heh, sorry to tell you but if I discard a monster that has at least more than 0 Attack Points, your little tokens are becoming lamb chops by the time it's my turn…"

"Yeah, but we'll have to see if you even keep it on the field for that long, now won't we?" Jayce asked with a smile as he drew his card and looked at it.

"And I just got the perfect guy to do the job. I summon my Berserk Gorilla in attack Mode."

With a loud hooting and roaring noise, the monster that appeared was quite impressive. A large red and orange furred gorilla, eyes wild and VERY angry as he hooted, beat his own chest and roared. (2,000/1,000)

"Still a little…" Michael began.

"…Short?" Jayce asked. "That's what my other facedown card is for. I play Big March of Animals!"

The other facedown flipped up, and the Berserk Gorilla began to glow with an orange energy.

"With this card, I pick a face up beast monster on my side of the field, and he gains 200 Attack Points for every Beast on my side of the field! Oh…and my tokens count as Beasts, by the way."

The Gorilla roared and bulged his muscles as he rose to a grand total of 3,000 Attack.

However, rather than ordering his ape to attack, it sounded like a loud hooting noise, like the Berserk Gorilla just made.

The Gorilla pounded pavement as he dashed forward, body seemingly on fire. He leapt into the air, both arms in the air and slammed them down on the dragon. There was an audible, very disturbing cracking sound, the dragon roared weakly and exploded into pixels.

**(Michael: 3,900) - - - - - - - (Jayce: 6,800)**

"Got anything else to say to that, mate?" Jayce asked with a chuckle.

"Well, I DO have a question…" Michael spoke up, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Well…from what I can keep hearing, it sounds like you're actually talking to the beasts…what's up with that?"

There was a pause between the two duelists, and eventually Jayce smiled and his hat blocked out his eyes.

"Was hoping you would ask that…it's simple, actually." He said. "See…I more or less grew up in the forests near my home, and I was one of the animal's closest friends.

"Every chance I got, I would go out and merely relax, enjoy the splendor and the beauty of nature, all around me! They all became my friends, my second family of sorts. I could talk to them, and they would never judge me in return.

"This continued on for months and months on end, and eventually I got into the game of Duel Monsters. So, as I looked through a deck, I figured…why not make a deck out of the family I had grown to love?

"I began to duel with my beasts and I began to win, but I noticed something…my Monsters began to look more and more real…like they were beasts themselves. One day, I got a little message from this guy…"

He pulled out a card from his Graveyard, and showed him Gazelle.

"I woke up to see his Spirit on my bed, and rather than the growls and the snarls he usually made…he said I had developed a gift…Apparently, I had become so close to nature, the spirits themselves figured to give me a gift…the gift to speak to the Spirits and animals!"

He smiled at the memory, and closed his eyes.

"I'm a Dr. Dolittle in a sense. I can talk to the animals, but when I do it sounds like grunts, growls, snarls and other animalistic voices…I'm actually talking to the animals themselves. When I speak like that, they speak to me in clear, plain English as you do to me! They're my friends, my companions…and I wouldn't ask for anything else in return."

It took Michael a moment to process this information. He wasn't crazy; he wasn't a jerk like the others in this tournament, he was just a duelist, wanting to prove to the world that his friends, his family could beat the best…

Michael smiled finally. "Heh…you know what dude? You're all right."

Jayce grinned a little bit. "Heh, same to you man…now, I believe it was your turn?"

"Uh…oh! Right!" Michael shouted, blushing as he drew his card.

**(Michael: 3,900) - - - - - - - (Jayce: 6,800)**

He looked at the current hand, and his eyes widened. He could make this work!

"Okay! First of all, I'll play my Level Modulation Spell card! Now, with this card, you're allowed to draw two cards, but in exchange, I get a LV monster back!"

Jayce quickly drew his two cards, and in a flash of light, Michael's Armed Dragon LV7 appeared in front of him. (2,800/1,000)

"Yeah, but I also happen to know the limitations of that card. You can't use his effect, nor can you attack! And look at what I just got, another Big March of Animals! Your monster isn't long for this world!"

"Oh, I disagree," Michael said, "Because I play the spell card, Level Switchout! I can now return a LV monster in my hand back to the deck…"

He returned his Winged Kuriboh LV10 back to the deck, and pulled it out.

"And take another LV monster out with the same Level! So, I switch out my Winged Kuriboh LV10…and take out one of my strongest beasts!"

"Yes!" Claire shouted, jumping up.

"I love it when he plays this!" Falco said with a broad grin, flexing a fist.

"Hm?" Joey asked, cluelessly as he looked to his son. "What's he summoning?"

"Just watch, dad," he grinned. "This thing can send Kaiba's Blue Eyes running!"

That caught Kaiba's attention, and looked to the field._ What could that kid be summoning…?_

"Now then, my next monster is a doozy, so I'll sacrifice my armed Dragon LV7…"

The Armed Dragon began to glow with a bright, white light and began to morph and mutate…

"And summon out the Armed Dragon LV10!"

The monster that appeared was the largest that had appeared on the field. Standing at a good twenty feet tall, completely covered in armor and standing atop two red, muscular legs, it let loose a roar that shook the stadium. (3,000/2,000)

"Whoa," Jayce said, looking up at the titan.

Joey's eyes opened up a little. "Whoa! Now that's a monster!" He said with a laugh.

"…Hm." Kaiba cocked an eyebrow.

"Now, to activate his effect!" Michael shouted, plucking another card from his hand and showed it to him, it was a Spell card called Burden of the Mighty.

"By discarding one card in my hand…" he slid the card into his graveyard, a massive ball of lightning began to form in the dragon's claws. "I can destroy all face up monsters on your side of the field!"

The Dragon thrusted the claw forward, and the ball was launched. It struck Jayce's side of the field, and the shrieks from the Gorilla were evident it didn't survive the blast.

"Now, Armed Dragon LV10, attack him directly with genocide blast!"

The Dragon opened it's armored jaw, and a blast of pale green energy shot out and struck Jayce. He screamed and took several steps back from the assault.

**(Michael: 3,900) - - - - - - - (Jayce: 3,800)**

"I think that'll do it for this turn…" Michael said with a chuckle.

Jayce drew his card, and looked at the eight cards in his hand. He grinned a little bit. "Okay, I'll play the spell card, Magic Stone Excavation!"

The Spell appeared on the field in front of him.

"Now with this card, all I need to do is discard two cards in my hand…"

He slid in a Wild Nature's Release and a second Scapegoat.

"But now I can retrieve a Spell card from my graveyard, and I discarded a useful one for Morphing Jar, and I'll use it, Monster Reborn!"

The holy Symbol appeared on the field, and Gazelle, the king of Mythical Beasts appeared on the field. (1,500/1,200) -- (2,100/1,200)

"Let me guess…you put another Cross Wing in there with Morphing Jar, didn't you?" Michael groaned, frowning.

"Yeah, actually," He said with a nod, "But sadly your monster is a lot stronger than mine…but I can easily remedy that."

He held up another card.

"Normally, this card takes two tributes to summon him, but so long as I offer a monster that has Phantom Beast in it's name, or if it's my lucky little companion here, Gazelle, it only takes one! So I bid farewell to Gazelle for now…"

Gazelle vanished into motes of light.

"And summon my strongest card! Come forth, Phantom Beast Rock Lizard!"

The monster that appeared looked anything less than a Beast. It surely looked like its skin was covered in rock hard skin, some of it gathered around to look like armor, the bottom half like that of a horse, the upper half was a muscular, with a head that had glowing red eyes, and what looked to be a beak. If anything, it looked like a living stone sculpture of a ferocious stone centaur. (2,200/2,000) -- (2,800/2,000)

"Okay, NOW I'm in trouble." Michael said with a gulp.

"Heh, I'll say, Phantom Beast Rock Lizard, attack his Armed Dragon LV10!" Jayce commanded, this time his voice like a low, gravely hissing sound.

The Rock Lizard hissed and dashed forward, hooves tearing up the ground and leapt into the air, its attack rising to 3,300 Points. It slammed its fist into the giant dragon's chest, causing it to explode.

Michael then grunted as he felt a red aura surround his body.

"Ugh…let me guess…Special Effect?" Michael asked, gripping his chest.

"You know it!" Jayce laughed. "See, when he destroys a monster as a result of battle, you lose an additional 500 Points of Damage."

**(Michael: 3,100) - - - - - - - (Jayce: 3,800)**

"Lovely…" Michael said, looking at his newly drawn card as he took his turn. He smiled a little bit at it.

"Heh…good as it's gonna get." He mumbled to himself. "I set one monster in defense mode…and end my turn."

The defensive monster appeared in front of Michael.

Jayce took his card, and he laughed. "Okay dude, sorry to say, but we've reached the climax! I summon one of my most dangerous cards, the Enraged Battle Ox!"

The name truly fit, as the monster that appeared was Kaiba's own Battle Ox, only it of course, seemed enraged. It snorted loudly, enough to blow steam out of its nose. (1,700/1,000)

"Okay, NOW Michael's screwed…" Falco mumbled, "That thing's deadly, it gives all Beasts, Beast Warriors and Winged Beasts on the field the ability to hurt through defense cards…"

"Okay, time to finish this up!" Jayce exclaimed, "Enraged Battle Ox, attack his defense!"

Rising to 2,200 Attack Points, the Ox snorted and slammed his axe into the defense card. Winged Kuriboh appeared on the card, and shattered into pixels.

"Thanks!" Michael grinned. "Because you destroyed my furry little friend, I can't take anymore Battle Damage this turn!"

"Well…you're crafty, I'll give you that!" Jayce laughed. "I end my turn…let's see whatcha got!"

Michael drew his card, and looked at his current choices. This was good, this was REALLY good….He nodded a little bit.

"Okay! First of all, I'm going to play my own Monster Revival spell, Premature Burial, that is!"

The continuous spell card appeared on the field, and with it, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6. (2,300/1,600)

"And I'm not done…I'll play one of my favorite spell cards, Level Up!" He shouted. I'm going to switch out my LV6 Horus for my favorite monster, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8!"

Horus erupted into black flames, and in front of him appeared his best monster. It let loose a roar. (3,000/1,800)

"Oh boy," Jayce gulped.

"Horus! Attack his Rock Lizard with Black Blaze Blast!" Michael shouted.

Horus roared and let loose a billowing blaze of fire, and it struck the reptilian like creature. It roared and exploded into fragments of rock.

"And I'm no where near done yet!" Michael shouted, "I'm playing another spell card, this one being called Level Down!?" He shouted, "Now I can return Horus LV8 for Horus LV6 from my deck!"

Horus shrunk considerably, and his arms vanished as he reverted back to his somewhat weaker, eagle like LV6 form. (2,300/1,600)

"Attack his Enraged Battle Ox!" He shouted.

Horus let loose a caw of his own, more eagle like than dragon like, and shot a large fireball at the bull. It howled and bellowed loudly, and exploded into pixels.

**(Michael: 300) - - - - - - - (Jayce: 1,900)**

"Now, I'll end my turn, and technically, since Horus roasted one of your monsters this turn, I can switch him out for his LV8 form!"

Once more, Horus was covered in a black fire, and was replaced by the massive more dragon like form. (3,000/1,800)

Jayce nervously drew his card and looked at it. He groaned, it was sure better than nothing…

"I set one card facedown…and one monster in defense mode," he said, the two cards, one vertical, one horizontal, appeared in front of him, "and end my turn…"

Michael closed his eyes and drew his card, he opened his eyes and smiled.

"I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior in Attack Mode!"

A warrior appeared in front of him, with ruby red armor and a large shield and sword. He glared at Jayce through his helmet. (1,600/1,000) -- (1,900/1,000)

"I'll use his effect, and remove his Spell Counter to destroy your facedown card." Michael said.

Breakers sword began to glow, and it shot a beam, destroying his facedown Mirror Force.

"Breaker, attack his defense card," Michael commanded.

Breaker rushed forward, and a Chiron the Mage appeared on the card. It was sliced in half by his sword.

"Horus, finish it up! Black blaze blast!"

Jayce grunted as the burning black flames slammed down onto him. He groaned…

**(Michael: 300) - - - - - - - (Jayce: 0)**

"The Winner!" Roland shouted, shooting a hand up to Michael's direction, "Michael!"

Everyone in the VIP box that had an association to Michael cheered loudly. Claire was, of course, the loudest.

Jayce walked over to Michael and grinned, patting him on the back and knocking him down. "Heh, that was the best duel I've had in a long time!"

"Glad I can help…" Michael groaned as he rose up slowly.

"Heh, I hope to see you around, man," Jayce grinned, "That was the best fun I've had in a while." He said, "Later, dude!"

"Yeah…later…" Michael chuckled and waved.

"The last duel of the first round will begin soon!" Roland shouted. "And of course…the duelist that will duel…is the one and only King of games!"

The stadium erupted into cheers as Yugi smiled and waved…

"That's right, brat…" Philip hissed from the shadows, his eyes narrowing dangerously, "Wave…wave to al your little fans…it will be that much better when I take you down…"

With that, the eyes vanished.

**888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888**

**Stampede**  
**Type**: Spell/Continuous  
**Image**: Several Beasts and Beast Warriors laying waste to Pandemonium  
**Effect**: When a BEAST or BEAST WARRIOR monster attacks, increase it's ATK by 500 Points. When a BEAST or BEAST WARRIOR is selected as an attack target, decrease the attacked monsters ATK by 500 Points.

**Phantom Beast Howler Monkey  
Type**: Beast-Warrior/Earth/Effect  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,600/0  
**Stars**: 4  
**Effect**: If there is a face up "Phantom Beast" monster or "Gazelle, King of Mythical Beasts" on your side of the field, when this card destroys a monster as a result of battle and sends the card to the graveyard, deal damage to your opponents Life Points equal to the ATK of this monster.

**Level Return  
Type**: Spell  
**Image**: The same figure from the card "Monster Reincarnation" with a large, red, LV in the middle of it.  
**Effect**: Select one LV monster in your graveyard, and add it to your hand

**Level Switchout  
Type**: Spell  
**Image**: An arrow pointing from Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 4 to Silent Magician LV 4 and vice versa  
**Effect**: Send one "LV" monster in your hand to the deck. Then, search your deck for one monster with an equal Level of the returned monster. Then shuffle your deck.

**Level Limit  
Type**: Trap  
**Image**: Horus the Black Flame Dragon exploded in a rather powerful explosion, with Armed Dragon LV3 flying in behind it  
**Effect**: Activate only when a monster on your side of the field is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the graveyard. Special Summon one level four or lower "LV" monster form your deck to the field.

_Note: Level Switchout and Level Limit first appeared in "The Seal of Orichalcos, the next generation"_

**888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888**

Well, that's done and over with, and we have one more duel before everything starts hitting the fan! Yugi duels next time, against a kindly old gentleman whose deck brings memories back to the old days! Find out next time in "The King of Games rises again!"


	10. King of Games Duels Again!

The sound of feet hitting the concrete was the only sound that could be heard in the dismal hallway

Disclaimer: yawns a little but and rubs his eyes I own nothing in this chapter, my friend Max made Charles and I give him credit for his deck too. Hell, I don't even own the Mental Hospital! Meh….maybe next time.

…

The King of Games Duels Again!

…

The sky was turning a rich red orange color as the sun began to set on the day in Domino city…

And it made the mental hospital one of the most frightening visages up there...

Juniper Hill Mental Hospital was not among Domino City's favored tourist spots, unless you were in the same crowd that had a thing for black eye shadow and punk jewelry perhaps. A bleak foreboding architecture laden with crumbling towers and rusty black iron fences gave the building the air of a gothic cathedral straight out of a horror movie, though some of its permanent residents were far more frightening then anything in a movie.

And one being knew that he needed them…even if it was just for a moment.

A figure landed just outside of the Juniper Hill Mental Hospital, brushing his hair away from his eyes as he casually walked in, as if he were merely entering a library.

As he walked down the dank hallways, the dim sunlight illuminating him with a orange, almost fiery light as he walked past door after door after door, each one filled with one inmate that was crazier and crazier than the last one.

His current target was the current psycho locked in the end of the hallway, and it was quite ironic…

He was breaking someone out he had put there in the first place.

Casually, nonchalantly, he walked over to the door and looked into it, calmly. The figure was curled up in the corner, eyes shut tight, moving back and forth in a failed attempt of cradling himself. It looked to be he was suffering a horrible nightmare…

"HEY!" shouted someone from the other side of the hallway. The figure turned around, almost as if the security guard that had just arrived was nothing more than a mere nescience as of now.

And to Philip, he was.

"Just who the hell do you think you are!?" shouted the guard in anger, walking over to the young teenager and grabbed his forearm. "Walking in here like you own the damn…place…"

He found himself looking into Philips eyes, and suddenly froze.

They weren't the eyes of a normal teenager. They were the eyes of a creature, a mad man…a demon…

Philip smirked a little bit, his eyes flashed red and suddenly the guard floated into the air, and with a cry slammed him against a metal, reinforced door. He was knocked out almost instantly.

His head turned back to the door in which he had come to in the first place, and his eyes flashed red, and the door began to collapse into itself. It turned into a crumbled into the size of a volley ball, and flew into the room; Philip watched it fall to the spongy floor with a soft squish.

All of the commotion had woken up the sole occupant, and his dead eyes looked up. "Who's….who's there?" He asked simply.

Philip walked in and smirked, crossing his arms. "Have you forgotten about me that soon?" he asked, even if the occupant didn't know who he was. "Of course…it was almost fifteen years ago…I can't blame you…"

"Who…who are you?" The person asked, softly.

Philip smirked and cackled, throwing his head back almost in a pleasurable ecstasy…his eyes widened, and the shadows began to cocoon around his body…it broke, revealing his real body…

And the person in the room lost it.

"NO!" he screamed in horror, his eyes widening. "NO! NOT YOU! ANYONE BUT YOU!"

The figure that was once Philip stalked the now quivering human, and grasped at his throat putting a finger to his lips making a shushing noise.

"You're going to be quiet right now…" The creature growled.

"Please…please…no…please…" The man sobbed quietly, shaking his head back and forth.

The creatures eyes flashed, and the figure was now stalk still, and he slumped over, now knocked out. A portal opened, and the figure dumped him rather unceremoniously into it. It closed afterwards.

"One down…" The creature said as he exited the room, and took back his Philip persona. "Three to go…"

…

"And welcome to the final round of the Kaiba Corp Grand Prix! This is the final round of the first round, and it shows to be a good one! Let's bring out the first duelist, you know him, you love him, you love watching him duel, let's all give a warm welcome to….YUGI MOTOH!"

The audience went completely ballistic as Yugi came out, smiling sheepishly as he waved to the crowd of cheering fans.

"Come on Yugi!" Joey exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air.

"And let's give another warm welcome to his challenger! Charles Wilson!"

The next person that came out of the opposite doors was a kindly old gentleman, easily in his late fifties or early sixties. He was currently, and obviously balding, with a small ring of graying hair around his head, with a rather large and seemingly unnecessarily heavy coat over his torso. He donned brown loafers, and had a very kindly look to him.

"That's his opponent?" Joey asked, blinking a little.

Kaiba chuckled. "Yugi's going to crush him…"

Charles walked up to Yugi his movements far from lethargic as one might expect from one his age instead simply being careful with each step. "So, my opponent is the King of Games right off the bat eh? Too bad, I was hoping to last a little longer in this tournament but, heh maybe if I play my cards right I can still show you a think or too eh?" Charles chuckled taking Yugi's hand in a surprisingly firm handshake

"Now then." He smiled a little bit as he walked back to his side of the field, and threw his deck into position, and his disk snapped into place. "I believe the term you kids use is…let's duel."

**(Yugi: 8,000) - - - - - - - (Charles: 8,000)**

"If it's all the same with you, I think I'll draw first…." He said softly, smiling softly as he looked at his full hand. He smiled.

"I think my first move shall merely consist of setting this monster facedown in defense mode…" he stated, as the facedown monster appeared to the field. "And ending my turn…"

Yugi nodded a little bit as he drew his card. Looking at his newly drawn card, he nodded and slid the card into his disk. "I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in Attack Mode."

In front of him appeared the more well known of the Magnet Warriors appeared. Its coloring was yellow, and it had a round head, with small, beady eyes. Horns protruded from it's head that looked like negative and positive sides of a magnet. (1,700/1,600)

"However, since I've been taught to be wary of facedown cards, I'll set these two cards on the field…" Two facedown cards appeared before him, behind Beta. "And end my turn."

"Ah, whoever taught you that taught you well," Charles chuckled a little bit as he drew his card. "Ah…I see this shall suffice. I summon the monster, Goblin Attack Force."

In front of him appeared a small group of what appeared to be goblins in thick armor. They carried clubs, and their eyes were shifting back and forth. (2,300/0)

"Goblin Attack Force, attack his Beta the Magnet Warrior with Club Basher!" Charles ordered, pointing a hand forward.

The Goblins took a chance to do this, as they all let loose a loud battle cry, clubs raised as they completely went to town on Beta the Magnet Warrior, beating the poor creature into pixels with their clubs.

Yugi winced a little bit, but he did manage to throw a hand to his facedown card. "You just triggered my Trap Card, Soul Rope! This costs me 1,000 Life Points, but I can bring out a Level four or lower monster from my deck! So I'll choose my Queens Knight!"

In a flash of light, the monster used by Blake earlier had appeared, her eyes narrowing as she swiped at the air with her blade. (1,500/1,600)

"Ohho! I didn't expect a fair maiden to show up this early in the story, but still an inventive choice of monster to pit against the beasts in my deck. My Goblins will take a little nap and with that I end my turn." Charles said waving his hand.

The Goblins suddenly collapsed in a pile, snoring loudly.

Yugi nodded his head and drew his card. He nodded, and slid the card into the disk. "I summon Green Gadget in Attack Mode!" Yugi shouted.

A large, green gadget like monster appeared, with broad feet and thin arms. Its body was bold and thick, and there was a small bump for a head, with a small, red eye. (1,400/600)

"And by summoning him, I get one specific card from my deck and added to my hand!" he shouted, grabbing the card that slid out for him. His deck was self shuffled by the disks newest feature.

"Queen's Knight, attack the Goblin Attack Force!"

The Queen's Knight, aiming with her sword, dashed forward and jumped into the air. She landed, blade first, in the center of the sleeping goblins. They all screamed in pain and exploded into pixels.

Yugi continued to stare at his facedown monster. Would be better to play it safe…

"I end my turn."

"Then I'll take mine." He said with a nod as he drew his card and smiled.

"Ahh, I bet you're feeling rather proud of yourself, Mr. King of Games, just as the hero of the story behind my deck felt after he dispatched the goblins standing between him and his destiny," Charles said before looking over his hand a strange gleam in his eye. "But just like him you've yet to face one of the true guardians of my Dungeon Crawler deck, the tutorial is over; this is where things get a bit more challenging."

"Case in point…I offer my facedown Royal Magical Library…and summon my Dungeon Worm in Attack Mode."

The ground in front of him began to shudder a little as his facedown monster disappeared, and finally the ground in front of him was ripped apart. The monster that had done the damage was a massive orange worm, with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. (1,800/1,500)

A small scoff came from Kaiba as he crossed his arms, and glared at the elderly man. "How on earth did a duelist get so far in MY tournament with such a worthless piece of trade bait?" he seethed, not liking this…

Charles, on the other hand, seemed to have heard him. He turned his head to the CEO and smiled. "This coming from the man who has a copy of Saggi the Dark Clown in his deck?" he asked with a small chuckle. "Does that make you an exception to the rule?"

Kaiba opened his mouth as if to retort, to put the old man in his place, but he found nothing. He closed his mouth, and merely glared at him, clearly as a loss for words.

"That's the problem with a lot of today's duelists," Charles said turning to look back towards Yugi. "If its not some new fangled Cyber Dragon fusion or new ways to use Demise King of Armageddon for a one turn kill most folks nowadays don't find much use for old fashioned cards like the ones in this deck. But when my grandkids first started playing Duel Monsters they started out with cards just like Dungeon Worm here. I suppose it's just this old man's way of keeping his loved ones close at hand."

"But moving right along! In case we have yet to notice, my worm is stronger than either of your monsters…Dungeon Worm! Attack his Queen's Knight, have your fill!"

The worm shrieked and began to dig down into the ground, the ground shuddering and the Queen's Knight looking around, looking very frightened…

The ground beneath her exploded, and the massive worm appeared from the hole, and the Queen's Knight was in it's maw. She screamed loudly as the Worm swallowed her completely, and slithered back to Charles side of the field.

"I think that, Mr. King of Games will end my turn."

Yugi nodded and drew his card. He had nothing that could beat that thing as of yet…but he had something that could stall it…

"I'll just set this monster in defense…and switch Green Gadget to Defense mode."

Green Gadget knelt down on one knee, and a facedown monster appeared beside the small, green machine.

"I'll end my turn on that note…" Yugi said with a confident nod.

"Ah, very well then, it's my turn," Charles drew his card, and his smile widened. "I said there was a story in my deck…" he held up the card he just drew, and smiled. "And what is a story…without a hero?"

A loud, battle cry came from his side of the field, and the monster that appeared was one that made Yugi, Kaiba and Joey blink. It was an Elvin warrior, with green armor and a cape fluttering behind him. He had a stainless steel sword, one which he held in both hands in front of him threateningly. (1,400/1,200)

"Is that a Celtic Guardian?" Falco asked.

"OBNOXIOUS Celtic Guardian to be precise," Charles correct with a small nod of his head. "The main hero of this story of romance, drama, horror and action, and here to keep that position! My hero, attack his Green Gadget!"

The Celtic guardian grunted and leapt forward, sword shining in the light as he brought it down on the machine. Green Gadget exploded into sprockets and gears.

"Now, Dungeon Worm, attack his defense card!"

The Worm shrieked and rather than burrowing under the ground, it shot forward, teeth gnashing as it slammed itself into a massive, man sized bronze shield. It shrieked in pain and flew backwards. The monster was revealed to be none other than Yugi's Big Shield Guardna. (100/2,600)

Charles laughed a little bit. "I see you're still full of tricks and turns I see!" he said. "I'll end my turn, young man…"

Yugi drew his card, and looked at his new card. He smiled, and pointed to his Big Shield Guardna, who had begun to evaporate into light pixels.

"I'll sacrifice my Big Shield Guardna to summon the one and only, Dark Magician Girl!"

The pixels that were once the Big Shield Guardna had begun to turn pink and turn into hearts. Amidst the hearts appeared the extremely famous Female Spellcaster, as her legs lifted up into the air, she pressed her index finger to her cheek, and gave Charles a very flirty wink, giggling. (2,000/1,700)

There were several catcalls and wolf whistles from the audience as she appeared, and she didn't seem all that pleased.

"Ahhh…" Charles smiled as he held his arms out, as if welcoming her, "the Dark Magician Girl…it's truly an Honor to face her…"

The Dark Magician Girl blinked, almost in surprise, and giggled.

"Heh…" Yugi smiled. "Dark Magician Girl…" He paused.

_I could do some damage if I were to attack The Celtic Guardian…but that Dungeon Worm's a much bigger threat right now…_

"Dark Magician Girl, attack Dungeon Worm with Dark Burning Attack!"

The Dark Magician Girl waved her scepter and cried out in a battle cry. It crashed into the giant worm, which burst into black flames. It shrieked and writhed for a moment, before erupting into pixels.

**(Yugi: 6,100) - - - - - - - (Charles: 7,000)**

Yugi chuckled a little bit, nervously as the audience cheered loudly. "I end my turn…"

"Excellent, then I'll start mine," Charles announced. Staring at his hand for a few moments, he turned the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian on his disk, and set a new card beside it.

"I'll switch my Celtic Guardian to Defense Mode, and set one additional monster facedown…" he said.

The Celtic Guardian kneeled down and placed his sword on his lap as a defense monster appeared before him.

"I think that can end my turn…" Charles said with a small, kind smile.

Yugi snatched the top card off his deck, and looked at it. "Okay! Dark Magician Girl, attack his Defense card with Dark Burning Attack!"

The Dark Magician Girl nodded seriously, and spun her staff. She thrusted the object forward, causing the facedown to flip up: A young, beautiful mage with blue skin and a flowing green dress. (800/2,000)

"Ah! And now we reveal the second star of the story behind my deck, Mystical Elf! After all, what better way for an aspiring hero to prove his worth then to rescue a beautiful princess from peril?" He said as the Mystical Elf gave the Guardian a warm smile causing him to blush under his helmet.

Yugi cocked an eyebrow, figuring this was going to get a LOT more interesting as the duel went on.

"Now then, if you don't mind, I'll be taking my turn." Charles said with a small nod of his head as he drew. He smiled. "And now we come to the beginning of our story. As we know, the princess' are sometimes the most important people in the kingdom, so it's completely natural that they are unfortunately kidnapped…"

He took the card of the Mystical Elf and she began to dissolve into pixels. The Obnoxious Celtic Guardian looked horrified as he watched this.

"As a test for the young Celtic Guardian, he must brave through the challenges of the Labyrinth!"

Several stone walls shot up around the Celtic Guardian, who had to jump back to avoid some of them, lest he got clocked in the head. Eventually, the apparent hero was now in the entrance to one of the many openings of the infamous Labyrinth Wall. (0/3,000)

"Ah, but my monster, sadly, is nothing more than a waste in Attack mode, isn't it? So, I'll change that by playing Stop Attack."

Nothing truly happened, but it was evident the massive, stone like creature was now in defense mode.

"Then, I believe for the sake of all the viewers out there, I shall play the Field spell, Mausoleum of the Emperor!"

The ground around them began to shudder and groan, and suddenly behind both duelists erupted a massive looking structure, two large pillars with a torch between them, and two guards in front of them.

"Now that we are at the burial sight of the princess' family, I do believe something will happen that will be…very interesting, don't you agree?" Charles chuckled warmly. "So long as we're in this area, we're allowed to use the Spirits of her family, and summon stronger monsters should we want to, for 1,000 Points a Spirit, however. I believe I'll end my turn, Mr. King of Games."

Yugi cocked an eyebrow as he drew his card. Looking at it, he scowled. _Nothing I can use, and nothing I can use with that Mausoleum of the Emperor…I have to defend for now._

"I'll just set one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn." He stated, the monster appearing in front of him and beside his Dark Magician Girl.

"If you're sure," Charles said with a small nod of his head, and drew his card. He smiled. "Ah! And what I drew here is another piece to this tale, for what is a Hero without an enemy?"

He slid a card into his disk, and a blast explosion could be seen. In the middle of the dark explosion was a man, at least from what they could tell, tall, completely coated in black armor and a flapping cape behind him. In his hand was a jagged sword. (1,800/1,500)

Both the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian and Dark Blade looked at each other, and glared intensely. It was quite obvious they had some sort of rivalry.

"Ah, yes, the one man who seems to get in the way of our Hero the most in this tale. Yes, the sorcerer in question sent him to keep him off his trail. Throughout his journey, I believe he fought the Dark Warrior more than young Link tangled with Ganondorf…"

"Dark Blade!" Charles shouted out, pointing forward. "Attack that Defense monster with Dark Sword Slash!"

Dark Blade pulled his sword forward and dashed forward. Witch of the Black Forest appeared on the card, and the Dark Blade sliced with his sword. The head of the witch fell from her shoulders, and they exploded.

"Thanks!" Yugi said with a grin, "Since you destroyed my monster, I can now take a monster with a weak defense, and add it to my hand!"

He took the King's Knight from his deck, and added it to his hand.

"Ah well, we have some mistakes sooner or later, for Dark Blade was well known for killing innocent maidens…" Charles nodded. "I end my turn…with one facedown card."

A facedown appeared behind the Celtic Guardian.

Yugi drew, and smirked a bit. "Okay, I summon my King's Knight!" he shouted.

In front of him appeared the blonde haired and blonde bearded warrior that Blake Whitworth had used, swinging his sword and brandishing his orange shield. (1,600/1,400)

"And in case you didn't know, he may be weak, but he's weak enough to destroy your Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" Yugi stated, "Now he's going to attack him!"

The King's Knight growled loudly and dashed forward, sword glaring in the sunlight…

"Ah, but what is a hero without his weaponry?" Charles asked, pressing a button on his disk, "For now he receives one of his best weapons, go, Kunai with Chain!"

The Obnoxious Celtic Guardian grabbed at thin air, but in actuality he had grabbed a chain that had appeared in front of him, and he began to swing it over his head. He swung it, and the bladed end wrapped around his legs, causing the king to trip. He groaned and rubbed his head, now in defense mode.

"Now not only does that protect my monster from the battles, but it increases his Attack by 500, making him just enough to be protected by all forms of attack."

It was true, as the Kunai glowed, and he rose to 1,900 Attack Points.

"Man, this guy's smart," Joey commented, leaning on his fist to take a look at the action, "he made that Guardian completely indestructible in battle…"

"You can learn something from him, Wheeler," Kaiba sneered.

"Kaiba, I swear…"

"Yeah, your Guardian might not be able to be destroyed in battle, but your Dark Blade's a different story, and I might do him a favor and destroy him for the Hero's sake! Dark Magician Girl, attack Dark Blade with Dark Burning Attack!"

The Dark Magician girl giggled loudly as she began to spin her wand about, and pointed it at Dark Blade, shooting out a ball of dark energy that struck the Knight. Despite his attempts to survive the blast, he screamed, throwing his hands into the air, and exploded into pixels.

**(Yugi: 6,100) - - - - - - - (Charles: 6,800)**

"Ha! Take that! That guy wasn't near strong enough to be the bad guys right hand man!" Joey shouted, pumping a fist forward.

Charles merely clucked his tongue as he drew his next card. "Never underestimate how much stronger a foe can become if they are willing to pay any price for victory, after many long hard battles the Guardian finally triumphed, shattering through one of his blades and dealing him what seemed a mortal blow."

He slid a card into his disk, and Monster Reborn appeared. With a haggard wheeze Dark Blade appeared once more. This time however his armor was cracked and battered blood seeping from a deep wound in his chest which he held with a dented gauntlet as he leaned against his sword.

"Dark Blade was a proud warrior, a strong, undefeatable beast, and attempted to prove it almost every chance he could make. And when the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian took him down the first time, he was crushed, his pride was hurt, his dignity shattered, and all he wanted from that point on was revenge…"

The Dark Blade wheezed through the grille of his helmet as he stared at Obnoxious Celtic Guardian his eyes glowing with an almost bestial hatred. A sinister cackle sounded from above and a pair of gnarled hands appeared weaving about and drawing strange symbols in the air as Dark Blade began to glow with a dark aura.

"So the evil Warlock, too close to having his plans reach fruition to allow the hero to interfere, gave his servant the strength for one final battle, reaching deep into his black heart and stripping him of restraint, of conscience, indeed of his very sanity, until all that was left was a terrible beast born of his dark soul and embodying the countless lives he had taken, a beast the wizard dubbed…the Sword Stalker!!"

Dark Blade clutched at himself and screamed in pain as purplish light seeped from the cracks in his armor until suddenly it exploded. What was left was a hideous beast with a mottled purple hide and soulless yellow eyes a pair of bat wings sprouting from its back the same color as his cape had been. Drool ran from its exposed fangs as the beast Dark Blade had become slammed its blade into the ground hissing in bloodlust. (2,000/1,600)

Yugi's eyes narrowed, and he let one hand slid behind him as if he were bracing himself. _One thing's for certain…_

…_This is actually a lot of fun for a story…_

…

With one associate down, Philip was feeling pretty good about himself at this point. He smirked a little as he walked down yet another barren hallway, this time on the second floor as he whistled a catchy tune, casually.

All the while, as he walked on down the hallway, the lights above would flicker and die. Not short out, or shatter into shards, they just…died. Darkness followed Philip's footsteps, the darkness coiling around his feet like a faithful hound. His hand in his front pocket, he approached another door, and clenched a fist. The door, like the previous one, collapsed in on itself and was thrown into the room.

He stepped inside, and there was a moment's silence. Just them two loud screams were heard, one shrill and the other deep. There was a flash of red light from the room, and the screams were silenced.

"Ah, this is more fun than it should be." Philip said with a small grin of his lips. "Now then…where is that pesky little magician…"

"FREEZE!"

Philip paused, and turned to see someone standing in the only dim light he could get from the moon outside. Standing there was a young man, with a full, black goatee and a head of thick, black hair. He wore a black business suit, obviously someone important in the building.

Philip obviously wasn't impressed.

"I'm…sorry, who are you and why should I care?" He asked with a small growl.

"You should care because this is MY Asylum!" The man shouted. "And frankly, I don't care who you are because you are trespassing, and everyone knows what I happen to do with trespassers!"

He shot his arm up, and a duel disk snapped into place.

"However, I have a very special way to deal with the people that try to get away, or break in." The warden said, throwing something at Philip who caught it.

He looked at the odd device. Made of black metal and had sharp, stainless silver spikes, and a latch near the back.

"And this is…?" Philip asked.

"It's simple; it's an underground dueling style shock collar." The warden said, snapping on the same device onto his neck. "Any kind of damage we would take is transferred to the taker of the damage. In other words…"

"The more damage I deal, the more pain you feel." He smirked.

Philip stared at him for a moment, before grinning evilly and threw his own collar onto his neck. He activated his duel disk, grinning over at him.

_Wont' need a Shadow game this time around…_He thought to himself.

"LET'S DUEL!"

**(Philip: 8,000) - - - - - - - - (Warden: 8,000)**

"I'll make the opening move," The Warden stated, drawing his opening hand and grinned. "And I shall discard a very powerful monster known as Skull Conductor."

He discarded the monster, and two bonfires erupted onto his side of the field.

"And in exchange, I can special summon two Zombie monsters from my hand, as long as their combined Attack points equal 2,000. So why not summon my key cards, the Burning Skull Heads!"

Amidst the bonfires appeared what appeared to be two skulls, still surrounded by light blue flames. (1,000/800 X 2)

"And when I special summon my Burning Skull Heads in any way, you lose 1,000 Life Points for each one!"

Philip winced a little bit, then jumped a little as the collar shocked him, doing 2,000 Points of Damage worth of damage. He winced and glared at the warden.

"My turn's not done either! I offer both of my Burning Skull Heads and summon Skull Flame!"

As the two flaming heads vanished from play, a massive creature erupted from in front of him. It was tall, with a burning skull head, and long elegant furs and a large broad sword. It glared down at Philip. (2,600/2,000)

"And with his effect, I can now Special Summon one Burning Skull head from my hand! And you know what happens then…"

Another flaming skull appeared in front of him. (1,000/800)

The flaming aura surrounded Philip again, but this time he didn't move.

When the smoke rose from his pale and thin figure, he let loose a small, shuddering, almost moaning sound and tilted his head back. "Marvelous…" He groaned. He tilted his head to one side, hearing the satisfied crack it made, and then to the other, hearing yet another crack.

All the while, the smirk wouldn't leave his face.

The Warden merely stared at him, cocking an eyebrow the whole time. This wasn't some normal kid…he might have had a masochist kink, but it was something he wasn't exactly wanting to explore…

"I'll end my turn…"

**(Philip: 5,000) - - - - - - - (Warden: 8,000)**

Philip drew his card shakily, and stared at it. He chuckled. "I sacrifice your two monsters for Lava Golem." He mumbled, shuddering still.

The Warden took a step back in fright as his two monsters vanished from in front of him, melting into small puddles that eventually grew into the large, ten foot tall Lava Creature. (3,000/2,500)

"Continuing my turn, I'll play the spell card Foolish Burial. With this card, I can now send one of my monsters to my graveyard from my deck."

Newdoria slid out of his deck, and he slid it into his graveyard.

After containing himself, he grabbed two cards and slid them in. "I'll end my turn by simply setting these two cards facedown, and ending my turn."

Two cards appeared facedown in front of him, and the Warden Drew. He hissed and shouted out in pain as the heat enveloped him, and the collar shocked him.

_This kid isn't messing around…_He thought as he looked at his newly drawn card. _Then I won't either…_

"I'll play Pot of Avarice." He said to him. "I'll take my five cards and add them back to my deck, then draw two cards."

His five monsters slid out, and he added them to his deck. He drew two cards, and grinned.

"Now then, I'll set this one card facedown, set one monster facedown and have your Lava Golem attack you directly!"

Lava Golem grumbled and opened its mouth, gathering a large fireball in its maw…

"Activate facedown! Call of the Haunted, to bring back the monster I sent there, Newdoria!"

In front of him appeared the mangled looking fiend, with pink skin, green clothing and the spiky necklace appeared with a loud hissing sound. He grinned at the Warden, obviously knowing something he didn't. (1,200/900)

_He'll likely use it to destroy my facedown…I have to take that risk._ The Warden thought to himself.

"I'll continue the attack anyway! Lava Golem, continue your assault!"

The Fireball was launched from his mouth toward the gangly looking fiend, and Philip grinned deeply.

"I was hoping you would do that for now I play my facedown, Hate Buster!" he shouted, his second facedown flipping up. "Since you attacked my fiend, both of our monsters are destroyed, but you lose Life Points equal to the Attacking Monsters!"

Both Lava Golem and Newdoria were covered in a green aura, and Newdoria let loose a cackling screech as he exploded, but the Lava Golem let loose a more pain filled roar before exploding.

The Warden let loose a scream as he lost 3,000 Life Points worth of shocks, and he fell to his knees.

It was then he looked up at Philip as he cackled, and he shuddered.

_What is this…thing…?_

**(Philip: 5,000) - - - - - - (Warden: 4,000)**

…

Back at the duel with Yugi and Charles…

"Yes, the Warrior couldn't believe the kind of creature Dark Blade had become! He knew he was insane, he knew he was twisted and he knew he wanted power, but at the very least he wouldn't sell his soul...Would he?"

This change was evident, as the Celtic Guardian stared at the horrid creature that Dark Blade had become. This new, brutish, soulless brute was horrifying…even for a warrior like Dark Blade. Sword Stalker looked over at the Celtic Guardian, and drew his sword, as if intimidating him.

Kaiba scoffed and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms a little bit and muttering something along the lines of more worthless cards.

That was when Joey poked him in the cheek with a little grin on his face. "Heh, what's that Kaiba? More trade bait cards YOU use in your deck?" he asked.

He pulled his finger back when Kaiba snarled angrily and snapped at his finger with his teeth.

"Yeesh…sorry I asked…"

"The Dark Blade had now dubbed himself the Sword Stalker, and he felt like he couldn't be destroyed! He went on a bit of a spree, however, and killed even the strongest warriors before him!"

Sword Stalker snarled loudly and leapt forward, his sword ablaze and he slammed it into the now Defensive King's Knight. He screamed in pain and exploded into pixels.

Yugi narrowed his eyes a little bitg, while Charles just chuckled warmly.

"He knew his victory in all these battles wouldn't last long…and the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian would see to that," muttered Charles, crossing his arms over his wooly jacket. "I end my turn…"

Yugi snatched the top card off his disk, and his eyes widened. "I activate Sages Stone!" he shouted, throwing the card forward. "With his apprentice out, I can now summon…the Dark Magician!"

In front of him appeared the legendary Dark Magician, with his purple armor gleaming in the sunlight and his green staff in his hand. He spun the staff around, and pointed it at the Elderly Duelist. (2,500/2,100)

Charles beamed and opened his arms. "Ahh…the Dark Magician. I am truly honored, my friend, TRULY honored…"

The Dark Magician stared at him for a little bit, but suddenly…he smiled.

Yugi too smiled. He liked it when people respected his cards like this. However, upon remembering the duel at hand, his seriousness returned and he pointed a hand forward.

"Dark Magician, attack the Sword Stalker!

"Dark…Magic…Attack!"

The Dark Magician spun his staff around for emphasis, and he thrusted his staff forward, and a massive ball of darkness shot out and struck the fiend.

It was quite evident the fiend wasn't going to give up without a fight. Now that his power had been given to him he wasn't going to lose that easily. Growling, snarling, grunting and shouting, he slammed his sword into the ground and made a decent sized crater. He looked over at the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, and gave off a howl of anger, of despair and sadness as he thrusted his head back…and ultimately exploded.

There was a clang of metal as the Obnoxious Celtic guardian dropped his sword as if in shock, and fell to his knees.

Now Charles voice had hit a dark, ominous octave. "The Celtic Guardian had never struck down another person before, but who could blame him? Sword Stalker had gone out of his mind with power, and he had to protect himself…but the Hero thought of how it was all worth it…how many lives must be struck down before the princess was saved?"

There was quite some silence from the audience members as they heard this.

"Wow…no one's saying a thing…they must thing this is REALLY boring…" Falco mumbled.

"I don't think that's it…" Marie muttered. "I think…they're listening to the story…"

Yugi nodded his head. "Okay…I have to end my turn…" He said to him.

"The Hero had to go on, he had no choice. Otherwise, the Princess would never be saved, and he would never see her again…but of course, the Sorcerer had more and more tricks up his ruffled sleeves…and what kind of Sorcerer wouldn't have a Dragon?"

"I relinquish 1,000 Life Points, and use the Spirits of her Gravesite to summon forth the Luster Dragon!"

What appeared to be a spirit appeared in front of him, but it didn't last as it vanished from sight. What replaced it was an impressive sight, a large dragon with green scales. (2,400/1,400)

The Obnoxious Celtic Guardian jumped back as it roared loudly, as if in pride.

"The Dragon was bigger than anything the Hero had seen! How would he ever possibly defeat this creature? It would take everything he knew to do it…everything in his arsenal…"

The Dragon inhaled deeply and let loose a torrent of green energy that struck the Dark Magician girl. She screamed loudly in pain as the flames burned around her, and she exploded into pixels.

Yugi gritted his teeth, and the Dark Magician looked astonished, then mad as he faced the dragon.

**(Yugi: 5,700) - - - - - - - (Charles: 5,300)**

Charles chuckled a little bit, and slid a card into his disk. "I play the spell card, Golden Sarcophagus, with this I can take any card I want from my deck, and seal it away. When two turns have passed, I can take the card and add it to my hand."

He took the card, and sealed it away into the large Sarcophagus that appeared in front of him.

"Okay then, Mr. King of Games, can you defeat the Dragon? Can you see if you can save the Hero, and ultimately the princess?"

Yugi snatched the top card off of his disk, and he smiled. "I can do that and more! I play Dedication through Light and Darkness!"

He presented the Spell card to him, and the Dark Magician was surrounded by a dark energy, and he began to morph…

"And with this, I can now Special Summon from my deck the Dark Magician of Chaos!"

In front of him, where his Dark Magician once stood appeared a much stronger looking Magician. He was now wearing tight fitted black outfit, with purple rings around the wrists and ankles. He now had long, stringy black hair behind him, and a helmet that looked like black and purple horns. (2,800/2,600)

"Attack that dragon with Chaos Scepter Blast!" he shouted, throwing a hand forward.

The Sorcerer nodded and spun his staff around his head quickly, then shot off a blast of energy that struck the Dragon. The Dragon roared as dark energy began to crackle around it, and it ultimately exploded, much to the Celtic Guardian's Shock.

"And you're not getting that thing back any time soon," announced Yugi, "Because my Dark Magician of Chaos removes any monster he destroys from play!"

Charles laughed heartily, and shook his head. "Yes, the Warrior felt he defeated the dragon more easily than he expected too. But would it really be the worse he could deal with before he could defeat the warlock?"

Yugi nodded. "I guess I have to end my turn."

"Isn't this exciting folks?" Roland's voice echoed out, causing everyone to jump. He was still there?

"The duelists are going neck and neck, and who will—" He was interrupted when a soda can hit him in the head. "Ow! Who did that?"

"Man, shut up!" Shouted a young boy from the audience. "We're trying to hear the story!"

"YEAH!" Shouted the rest of the audience goers. And Roland nodded his head and slinked back a little bit.

Charles laughed a little bit more, shaking his head. "I didn't expect this story to be so popular amongst you kids…but if you want some more…I'll be more than happy to give it what you want!"

He looked to his hand, and he smiled. "For now, I'll set one card facedown, and set one monster facedown in addition to that." He stated.

Before him appeared the two facedown cards appeared, one a monster, one a spell or trap.

"I end my turn. It seems you're finally reaching the final leg of your journey, young one…" Charles chuckled.

Yugi laughed a bit and drew his card. "Looks like I am." He said, drawing his card. He narrowed his eyes, and then held a card between his middle and index finger to show Charles, "I play Monster Reborn, to revive from my Graveyard the Dark Magician!"

In a flash of light, the Dark Magician appeared beside his darker counterpart, and spun his blade.

"Then, I summon Magicians Valkyria!"

In front of him appeared a young female like monster, who was carrying a crooked cane and looked like a somewhat weaker version of Dark Magician Girl. (1,600/1,800)

"Dark Magician of Chaos, attack the Defense card he has!" he shouted.

The Dark Magician of chaos began to charge up his blast…

"Hold on there, young one," Charles chuckled as his facedown flipped up, "I'm afraid I'll have to call that off with my Negate Attack!"

The shimmering purple and red portal shot up and absorbed the blast.

Yugi narrowed his eyes, and slid a card in. "I set one card facedown, and end my turn…"

Charles drew his card, and smiled as the Golden Chest appeared in front of him once more. A card slid out, and he added it to his hand.

"We'll get to that card in a moment. For now…I'll play Pot of Greed."

The chuckling pot appeared in front of him, and he laughed as he drew his two cards.

"Now then, I believe the Hero couldn't make it in time to stop the Sorcerer's ritual, much to his own shock. Had he failed? Would this truly be the end of the world that he had several times in this journey?

"Case in point…I flip summon the Warlock himself, the old Vindictive Magician!"

In front of him appeared a rather gnarled looking magician, heavy reed armor all around his body, and he too carried a pointy staff in his hand. He let loose a shuddering, ragged breath. (450/600)

"Heh, the Celtic Guardian was surprised at who it was that would summon this creature, and do you know why?" Charles chuckled. "The Old Vindictive Magician…was the families alchemist."

There was a small gasp from the audience. They were really eating this up.

"They had no idea as to why he was doing this, but as of now that was unimportant. He was going to summon a powerful demon, and he couldn't do anything to stop it!"

The Old Vindictive Magician gestured with his hands, and a beam of burning energy struck the Dark Magician of Chaos. He howled in pain and exploded, as per the Old Vindictive Magician's effect.

"Now then…to summon the Demon…I play Zera Ritual."

_Zera Ritual?_ Yugi thought in shock. _Oh no…this is gonna be trouble…_

He discarded two cards from his hand (One being a man Eating Treasure-Chest, and the other being A Luster Dragon #2). Suddenly, the Warlock cackled as he exploded into black flames.

"The Magician was going mad with power!" Charles exclaimed over his monsters roars of happiness and ecstasy. "He was going out of his mind as the power of his dark god was absorbed into his body! He would rule the world soon enough, and the warrior shall pay for interfering!"

The Warlock threw his hands up as dark shadows began to fly into his body, and he began to mutate horribly. The Celtic Guardian stared on in horror as his body began to change and he began to grow in size and obviously power…

"As he changed, he gave forth a feral roar that echoed throughout the entire kingdom! Time seemed to freeze, and almost immediately…they knew that Zera the Mant had risen again!"

The burning flames surrounding the warlock blew away in a gust of wind, and in the Warlocks place stood a horrifying creature. It had light blue skin and looked very skeletal, the vague remembrance of a crocodile mixed with a demon. It wore a collar and a long, flowing purple cape. It let loose a shriek, which made everyone in the audience clutch their heads in pain. (2,800/2,300)

"Okay…I think I hit trouble…"

"Zera the Mant…destroy the Magician's Valkyria!" Charles commanded.

The Fiend let loose a massive roar as he lumbered forward, and his claws gleamed in the dimming light of the day. It struck the Magician, and she screamed as she was blown away.

"I end my turn, Mr. Motoh…can you defeat the Demon, or will you fall like the others that have tried to stop him in the past?" Charles asked him with a smile.

Yugi closed his eyes, and he opened his eyes. His heart dropped, he had nothing…

"I switch Dark Magician to Defense, and end my turn…"

**(Yugi: 4,500) - - - - - - - (Charles: 4,900)**

Charles drew a card, and he too smiled. "Hm…the Warrior didn't think he could defeat the creature either…but imagine his surprise when the ghostly figure of the Princess appeared before him."

He played a card, and Premature Burial appeared on the field. The Mystic Elf appeared on the field, but she seemed transparent, but smiled at the warrior all the same.

"She said he could defeat the demon, because it was his destiny to! But how would a warrior fare up to a creature of such might, of such…power? It would take everything he would have and more…but the Princess had an idea, a crazy one, but one he could try…

"See, the Warrior had an ancient power buried deep in his soul, and he needed as much power as he could muster to release it out and use it to his strongest potential! The Warrior had to believe in himself, as the entire fate of the world rested upon his shoulders…."

The Celtic Guardian began to glow with an unearthly light, and he closed his eyes…

"He would defeat the demon, he would save the world…

"For it was his destiny!"

The long forgotten Labyrinth Wall began to crumble and was sucked into the portal that the Celtic Guardian was creating, and the Mystic Elf floated over to the Warrior. She embraced him gently from behind…

And as titanic explosion occurred.

"Yes, the Warrior had done it! No longer a mere warrior in training, but a warrior amongst the gods! He had been transformed into….Gilford the Lightning!"

The Warrior that appeared was no familiar than it had been When Blake or Joey used him. The orange and yellow armor; the jagged, curving blade and the total feeling of power danced from his body. (2,800/1,400)

"And because he summoned him by offering three monsters…" Joey mumbled his eyes wide.

"He's gonna destroy all of Yugi's monsters!" Michael finished.

Gilford lifted his blade into the air, and a bolt of lightning shot from it. The same bolt struck the Dark Magician, and he howled as he exploded into pixels.

"This is it!" Joey shouted, leaning over the edge of the V.I.P box. "If these attacks connect, Yugi's done for!"

_Come on Motoh…_Kaiba thought to himself, his eyes narrowing, _If you lose this…_

"Zera the Mant…Attack him directly!" Charles shouted as the Demon charged forward, and struck the King of Games. He roared in pain, and flew backwards into the ground, moaning…

"Gilford the Lightning…finish him off!" he shouted.

Gilford's sword began to crackle with such energy it danced off his body, as he flew forwards to the still laying down Yugi. No one seemed to notice Yugi reaching a finger forward and hitting a button his disk…

Another blast of energy was seen, and an explosion occurred soon after.

"I…I don't believe it folks…" Roland whispered to the hushed crowd, "It seems the King of Games is—"

"Still in this game." Charles stated calmly, his arms crossing in front of him. "I can just tell…"

Everyone looked at the smoke to Yugi…

**(Yugi: 2,900) - - - - - - - (Charles: 4,900)**

Charles smiled. "Just as I thought…"

"But…How?" Roland asked aloud.

Yugi smiled a little bit as he rose up, and pointed to his newly activated facedown card.

"Nutrient Z." Charles laughed and shook his head. "I should have guessed…"

"In an amazing turn of events!" Roland shouted, "Yugi played his facedown Nutrient Z in the nick of time! When activated, Yugi could gain 4,000 Life Points before he lost the 2,800 he would have lost originally, meaning he gained 1,200 to buffer the damage!"

Charles smiled as he adjusted his shirt, and nodded his head. "I end my turn, young one…let's see if you can help the Warrior understand his destiny."

Yugi closed his eyes, and he took a deep breath. He drew his card slowly, and he looked at it…and then his eyes widened.

_Perfect! I can beat him this time!_

"I play a card from my hand, go, Brain Control!"

A nasty looking, slimy brain appeared in front of Yugi, and the ghostly arms grabbed Gilford the Lightning and dragged him over.

"Now…I play the spell card, Pump Up!" he shouted, showing the card. "For the remainder of this turn, Gilford's Attack becomes Double!"

Gilford roared loudly as more energy blasted into his being, and he rose to 5,600!

"Then…to finish the job…I equip your monster with a new addition to my deck, Nitro Unit."

Zera snarled loudly as a large pack, which looked like a bomb, appeared on his chest.

"Now, when I destroy your monster, you'll lose Life Points equal to that monsters attack points." Yugi stated, and his eyes narrowed. "Gilford! Attack Zera the Mant!"

"Yes! The Warrior did have the power after all! He could defeat the demon, and he knew he could do it! Despite all the anger, frustration, death and horror that came from this one journey, he would save the world, and this one battle would prove it!" he shouted.

Gilford's Blade struck Zera the mant, and a simple beep could be heard. Once more, a titanic explosion occurred…

"And because of the Warrior….peace would reign supreme in the land…forever more."

**(Yugi: 2,100) - - - - - - (Charles: 0)**

"The Winner!" Roland shouted, throwing a hand in the direction of the young, grinning duelist, "Yugi Motoh!"

The audience erupted into cheers!

Yugi noticed Charles walking over to him, and the smile on his face wouldn't leave.

"That, my young friend…was quite possibly the most enjoyable duel I've had in my years as a duelist…you truly deserve the title of King of games…"

Yugi smiled as he clutched the older man's hand, and shook it with somewhat surprising vigor.

"I haven't had that much fun in a long time, sir." Yugi said honestly, "Thank you."

"No, Mr. Motoh. Thank YOU."

"And how about that folks?" Roland asked the cheering, thunderous audience. "Two duelists state this was the most fun they've had in a long time, and that concludes the opening ceremonies!

"Come back tomorrow for the next round, where things are sure to more exciting!"

"Until then, good night folks, and don't forget to visit the Kaibaland Gift store on your way out!"

…

Back with the Warden and Philip…

The Warden had been giving it his all to hurt Philip, to make him squirm and beg for mercy but it had been failing so far…

As of now, Philip had two defense cards in front of him, and a facedown card. It was rather uneventful…

That's why the Warden had a new monster out, a rather frightening thing he had just brought out called Speed King- Skull Flame. An intimidating, centurion like beast with a flaming head, and a large pike in his hand, and with 3,000 Total Attack points.

Yet Philip looked far from worried as he kept his arms crossed.

**(Philip: 5,000) - - - - - - - (Warden: 4,000)**

"You got a lot of guts kid…" The Warden seethed as his monster whinnied a little bit and spun his pike around. "Too bad I gotta rip them out! I activate my King's special effect, I can burn off 400 Life Points off you for every Burning skull head in my graveyard!"

The Speed King motioned with his hand, and a large jet of flames shot out and struck Philip. However, he let loose an almost pleasured groan, which, once again, freaked out the Warden.

"Attack his left defense monster!" he shouted to his monster.

The creature leapt forward and drove his pike into the creature before him. It was revealed to a mangy looking creature, like a flying squirrel. It shrieked as it exploded, but the Pixels shot forward and struck the Warden, much to his shock.

"Heh, that was my Nimble Musasabi," Philip announced, "And since you destroyed him, two things shall happen. One, you lose 500 Life Points…and two, YOU get two more on your side of the field." He stated.

In two flashes of light, two more small, vermin like creatures appeared before him. (800/400 X 2)

"I'm not sure I want them…" mumbled the Warden.

"Awww, isn't that cute? You make it seem like you have a choice in the matter…Now finish up your move!" he shouted.

The Warden narrowed his eyes, and waved his hand. "Just go…" he snarled.

Philip drew his card, and he smirked. He began to cackle loudly, gripping a fist tightly as he seemed to glow with a dark energy…

"I first play Monster Reborn, and special summon my Newdoria to the field…" he grinned.

Newdoria appeared on the field again, and it giggled a bit as he cracked his neck.

"Next, I play my facedown, Cloning. With this, I can copy one of your monsters, and make it a token on my side of the field.' He said, pointing to his facedown.

In front of him appeared an exact double of the Speed King. (3,000/2,300)

"Now…I offer all three of my monsters…" Philip began, his eyes going a lovely, ruby red color…

The scream the Warden made could be heard outside the Asylum…

Philip walked over to the currently knocked out Warden, and he smirked.

"You're a sad excuse to dueling everywhere…" he said, as a hand lifted up and ripped off the collar, throwing it at the prone form of his opponent. "However…a duel that…_enjoyable…_deserves some praise…well done." He smirked.

He walked over to door he was about to enter before he was so rudely interrupted, and ripped it off the hinges. Upon walking inside, the shrieking and screaming could be heard, easily echoing the last three victims Philip made, and in another flash of light the screaming stopped.

Philip walked out of the room, and smirked.

"Now…things can be considered fun…"

With a cackling, echoing laugh, he disappeared…

…

**Burning Skull Head  
Type**: Zombie/Effect/Fire  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,000/800  
**Stars**: 3  
**Effect**: When this card is Special Summoned, inflict 1,000 Points of Damage to your opponents Life Points.

**Skull Conductor  
Type**: Zombie/Effect/Fire  
**Attack/Defense**: 2,000/0  
**Stars**: 4  
**Effect**: Send this card from your hand to the Graveyard. You can Special Summon 2 Zombie-type monsters from your hand in face up defense mode whose total ATK is 2,000.

**Skull Flame  
Type**: Zombie/Effect/Fire  
**Attack/Defense**: 2,600/2,000  
**Stars**: 8  
**Effect**: You can Special Summon one "Burning Skull Head" from your hand during this turn. If you do this, this card cannot Attack during that turn. During your Draw Phase, you can add one "Burning Skull Head" from your graveyard to your hand instead of conducting your Normal Draw Phase.

**Speed King – Skull Flame  
Type**: Zombie/Effect/Wind  
**Attack/Defense**: 3,000/2,300  
**Stars**: 10  
**Effect**: By removing one "Skull Flame" in your graveyard from play, you may Special Summon this card. In Addition, by sending this card to the graveyard, you may Special Summon one "Skull Flame" from your graveyard. Once per turn, inflict 400 Points of Damage to the opponent for each "Burning Skull Head" in your graveyard.

_Note: These Four cards were first used by Mukuro in future episodes of 5D's._

**Pump Up  
Type**: Spell  
**Image**: The Image of this card was not clear.  
**Effect**: Select one monster you control. Double that monster's ATK until the end phase.

_Note: Pump Up was first used by Yugi in the anime episode "Fate of the Pharaoh" all creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

…

Okay ya'll, that's the end of the starting rounds! However, in the dead of the night our heroes find themselves attacked by the very beings Philip just released! Falco faces an opponent that he only read about, but this guy seems to have something against him…for what reason? Find out next time in "Pieces of the Puzzle" coming soon!


	11. Pieces of the Puzzle

Disclaimer guy: (Chattering a little) MichaelDJ54 does n-not own Yugioh in any way, shape or form! Yah! (Moves his head as an arrow hits the wall he's leaning against)  
Michael: We're gonna be playing a rule! Every time you say that…. (Cocks up a bow and arrow, while his eyes are blind folded) I'ma go William Tell on your happy ass…Anyway, enjoy the Chapter ya'll!  
Disclaimer: Help me!  
Michael: Stop moving!

…

Pieces of the Puzzle

…

As Kaibaland theme park began to filter the remaining people out, Michael, Falco, Marie, and Claire figured it would be fun to stay behind…at least for a while.

"Can you guys believe we made it this far?" Michael asked them all softly, his eyes going to the currently purple sky, as the first star of the night beginning to flash in the sky. "I mean…we're in the Kaiba Corp Grand Prix…"

"Yes, yes, we get it you dork," Falco mumbled, rolling his eyes and chuckling at his friend's amazement. "We did just kinda go through the first round of it…and we all whupped the opposition!"

Marie and Claire rolled their eyes a little at their boyfriend's reactions. "Yes, yes we did whup massive ass," Marie said with a smirk, crossing her arms over her chest. "But, tomorrow might be different mate, you MAY have to go against Yugi."

The color drained from Falco's face, and he gulped. "Eh…Heh…didn't think about that…"

"You think?" Michael joked.

Falco glared at him.

"Okay you two, break it up," Claire said, getting between the two and putting her hands on their chests to keep them apart from each other, "We best get home, get something to eat and go to bed…big day tomorrow after all!"

"Yeah, I guess so," Michael said, nodding his head, "Shame though…I was kinda hoping to stay up a little bit later. Ya know…do some exploring…"

"We can do some exploring when I win the tournament, baby," Claire smiled, kissing her boyfriend on the cheek innocently.

He didn't seem flustered. He cocked an eyebrow, and grinned, "When YOU win?"

"Yes, when _I _win," She said once more, with a grin, "got something against that, love?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Michael continued, with a chuckle escaping his lips, "I find it difficult to see YOU winning when I'm gonna be the winner," He said.

Both boyfriend and girlfriend stared at each other, almost teasingly…

"People, people, people!" Falco exclaimed, now getting between the two this time. "You all have to remember…I'll be the one winning this thing! It's so obvious…"

"Shut up Falco…" Michael chuckled.

"Okay people, I don't know about you!" Marie exclaimed, letting it known that she was still there as she clapped her hands together. "But I'm getting tired, watching all those duels today can really wear a person out…"

"Yeah, I can tell," Claire said with a nod, letting out her own, cute little yawn, "I guess I should get to bed…"

"Yeah, me too…" Michael mumbled, stretching and scratching the back of his head rather unceremoniously, "I'll see you lot tomorrow, kay?" he asked them.

All of them nodded, and Falco gave Marie a kiss on the lips goodnight, as Michael did the same with Claire, and all four of them walked off into the night.

…

"So, you all know what to do?"

"Yes master…" Droned the voices in front of Philip, very Zombie like and very obedient.

He loved every minute of it.

"Very good then," The Teenager smirked as he crossed his arms. His eyes went to the corner, to the four, slumped over people he had bothered to break out of the Asylum.

"You lot will go first then," he said to them, "Go to your places, and I'll make it so they get where they are. Is that clear?"

There was no noise or acknowledgment; they simply stood there, their hoods over their heads to mask their true identities.

"I said…" He began again, and his eyes erupted into black flames, and his voice turned demonic, "is that clear?!"

That got a reaction out of the four people, and they quivered and gulped. "Y-Yes master…!" They all exclaimed, bowing a little bit.

"Good," Philip said, turning his back to them, "Now get out of my sight, all four of you! Get to work, and if you fail this time I won't go easy on you!" He turned his head to the side and stared at them all through the corner of his eyes, "And don't think I won't let a little thing like the Shadow Realm keep me from making you pay…"

They all twitched, and instantaneously they all vanished in pillars of darkness.

Philip sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's so hard to find good help these days…" He mumbled, eyes closed in annoyance.

"I agree, sir."

"Shut up, Tony…"

"Yes, master…"

…

"Ooooh, there's my little tournament champion!" Mai giggled a little as she pinched Falco's cheek, making him wince.

"Mom! Bloody hell! Come off it!" He laughed, slapping his mom's hand away from his cheek.

She grinned and wrapped her muscular arms around her son's neck in a gentle hug. "All ready going to the next round? You might end up as good a duelist as your father!"

Joey, standing right behind the two, grinned cheekily and rubbed under his nose. "Heh…well, I don't know if he'll end up as good as me…"

"You're right!" Mai grinned, "He'll be better."

"Gee, thanks baby…" Joey mumbled, closing his eyes and sighing.

She smiled and kissed Joey's cheek. "Okay Falco, we're gonna feed you but you and your father need to go to bed soon, okay?" She said strictly. "You both have big days tomorrow, and I'll be damned if either of you get kicked out of this tournament just because you slept in. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am," they both said, nodding their heads several times in fear.

The innocent little smile came back and she nodded. "Good. Now then, I'll go get dinner ready."

With that, she walked out.

"She's scary," Falco mumbled.

Joey grinned a little. "And I wouldn't love her any other way."

…

"Dreams as such fickle things," Philip mused as he walked into the dark, dank room he stayed in. "They show our true desires. They show our greatest fears.

"Freddy Krueger knew how to manipulate them, the dream master as he called them. He could kill them in the one place they couldn't be saved."

He waved his hand, and four white portals appeared in front of them. In each of them was Michael, Claire, Falco and Marie.

He stared at them, and he chuckled.

"Fear dwells in all of these children. Insecurities, desires, truths…."

He smirked, and waved his hand until Falco's image was left. The image changed to that of him sleeping, looking peaceful.

The smirk remained.

"Let's see what kind of dread we can dig up on Mr. Wheeler…"

He waved his hand…and the Falco in the mirror began to writhe…

…

The world seemed dark, dank, empty and alone for young Falco Wheeler…

He stood alone, by himself in the vast graveyard, clutching his fluttering trench coat closer to his body as he stared at the two, seemingly moss covered tombstones in front of him.

One read Joey Wheeler.

The other Mai Wheeler.

A cold wind blew across the cemetery as he read those inscriptions one final time. It seemed so unreal…he was strong, then why were there tears dripping down his cheeks? This couldn't be happening…it simply couldn't.

"Mom…" He whispered softly, dropping to his knees, "Dad…I'm…I'm sorry…I couldn't…couldn't be there." He sobbed, holding his face in one hand as the other clutched the ground.

The ground shook as soon s he paused for a deep breath. Wiping the tears away, he looked up at the graves. It was off, but the ground seemed to be…bulging upward.

The horror started when the ground erupted, and cards upon cards of his parent's best cards began to fly out, but they were far more demonic…zombie like…

The three Harpie Ladies landed down in front of him, or rather hovered there. Their skin was cracked and dry, rotting away in some parts while several feathers molted from their once glorious feathered arms. They all shrieked and flew a little lower to the ground.

Gilford stood over them, his own flesh rotting and his armor chipped and lost a lot of its sheen. His sword was snapped in half, and half of his face was nothing more than bone, his jaw slacking over as he stared at his young master's child.

As Falco turned to run, his throat slammed into something hard that made him gag violently. Looking up, he saw the currently rotting form of his fathers Jinzo, the optic sensors cracked apart, and the red glow was gone. His armor was chipped, his skin was rusting and more brain was revealed, despite being a machine.

He slammed him down into the ground, and as he tried to rise Jinzo slammed his foot into his chest, making him gasp in pain. Before he knew what was going on, the three Harpies had pinned both legs and arm to the ground. He looked up as Gilford slammed his foot onto his other hand, and kept him fully pinned.

"What…what are you doing…?" He gasped aloud.

The monsters didn't seem to answer him, as another gust of wind was felt, but this one smelled and tasted foul, and was a lot colder than the previous gusts of that night.

"Your death comes now…" Jinzo droned on loudly, cackling softly as he moved away from the boy's body.

And Falco saw it.

Looming over him, with it's scales rotted, red eyes gleaming darkly and his wings long and tattered stood his fathers prize Possession, the Red Eyes Black Dragon.

Boy and Dragon looked at each other for a moment, and the dragon growled loudly, opening his mouth and releasing an epic shriek, higher than that of the duels Joey used him.

"No…no…please! Wait!" Falco cried.

Burning hot flames shot from the dragon's mouth, and onto Falco. All he could do was scream…

…

"No! NO! Wait! STOP!" Falco screamed, failing to notice he was wrapped up in his blankets…

…And rather unceremoniously fell to the ground with a loud thud.

He sat up quickly, sputtering loudly and checking his body for third degree burns.

When he discovered nothing was out of the ordinary, he panted heavily and leaned back into his suddenly very comfy floor. He groaned as he brushed his sweat strewn blonde hair out of his eyes.

"Oh my god…" he groaned loudly, as if the image alone caused him some sort of damage. Rubbing his stomach slowly, he sat up. "That was horrible…on so many different levels…"

There was a pause, and he gave a very Wheeler response…

"I'm hungry."

…

As he sat in the kitchen, biting into his sandwich, he yawned and couldn't seem to stop thinking about that dream.

"That was so demented…" He mumbled, taking a swig of milk to wash it down as he rubbed his eyes. "But it actually felt like I couldn't breathe and…like I was being burned alive…"

He leaned his head on his hand, and sipped his milk again.

"Let's hope that stays a dream…though knowing my luck, it won't be…"

He noticed a faint flicker off to the side, and turned his head, surprised.

Standing outside of his house was Marie, but her ensemble was odd, a silk, white dress that draped down to her feet.

She smiled gently as she motioned for Falco to follow, and she walked off.

Falco looked at the sandwich in his hand, then back at the currently drifting away Marie.

"Oh bugger this." He said quickly, threw the sandwich away and ran out.

…

"Marie?" he called out to the darkness surrounding him. He never noticed how creepy Domino was at night, especially by himself. "Okay…maybe this was a bad idea."

A soft giggle to the side, and there standing in one of the alley ways was Marie. She giggled, waved, and ran off.

"Then again…"

He chased after her, this time making sure she stayed in his line of sight, and he saw where they ended up at.

"Kaibaland? Again?" He asked himself aloud, looking up at the giant sign. "Weird…"

He shrugged and walked in, looking around. He wasn't going to find Marie just standing around…

However, several things began to course through his mind. Since when did Marie glow? And why was she out at two in the morning, wearing a gown and ushering him to Kaibaland?

Unless…

It hit him…

"It's a trap!" he exclaimed, turning around but a massive wall of darkness shrouded his exit. He gritted his teeth and turned around.

Upon turning around, he heard a loud, cackling laugh from in front of him.

"Well, well, well…" chuckled the voice, "I can't say you're as smart as your old man…but what can you do when you're the son of Joey Wheeler?

"…When the apple doesn't fall too far away from the tree!"

From behind one of the rides (They were in front of the Kuriboh Rides) stepped a figure. He was currently wearing a black robe with a hood, but his appearance was far more frightening: He was gaunt, his eyes seemed dead, and his hair was a spiky white.

"Ooh dude…that's an image I didn't want to have in my head for a while…god dude, you look like a scarecrow…" Falco's eye twitched.

The man narrowed his eyes, and he growled.

"You and I have a score to settle…more like a score to settle with your father but I'll gladly go after his brat instead."

"Huh?" Falco asked, blinking, "but how do you…"

He paused, and suddenly he knew.

"You're the Rare Hunter!" Falco shouted aloud, pointing a finger at him, "You're the one that beat my dad first in Battle City, and took his Red Eyes!"

"And I would have stayed that way if it wasn't for your father! If he hadn't told Yugi, he never would have searched me out and tried to take it back! If your father hadn't told Yugi, I never would have lost and my Master wouldn't have been upset at me! If he hadn't told Yugi, I never would have lost my soul!"

He panted a little bit, narrowing his eyes. He gripped a fist.

"Your father made my life a miserable hell…" he grumbled aloud, gripping his fist tightly. "I was dark, cold, lost, not knowing where I was! My soul was lost to the shadows that surrounded us; monsters that would make you shudder and go insane! It was all his fault!"

Falco stared at him, in amazement.

"Okay, I'm going to point out so many things wrong with that statement…according to my dad, you FORCED him to duel. You FORCED him to ante up his Red Eyes, and you basically cheated! You marked your cards, and used Fake ones! How are you supposed to blame my father for something you basically brought onto yourself? And for that matter, where did you come from! I thought you were still gone!"

The Rare Hunter chuckled a little, tilting his head to the side.

"When my master was defeated, we were all released…at least we thought we were. The local authorities thought we were a bit loopy…and we all were! Losing your soul will do that to do to ones self…"

He closed his eyes.

"We were taken to Juniper Hill Mental Asylum, and we were there for a long, long time." He chuckled, crossing his arms, and shook his head. "I thought we would never get out…

"Imagine our surprise when he came…"

"Who came?" Falco asked, glaring at the obvious psycho.

"Ah, ah, ah!" The Rare Hunter grinned, "Can't give away the plot! But now then…I believe I have some revenge to enact…"

He chuckled and held out his arm. The Darkness began to form around his hand until it was in the form of a golden, spiky duel disk, a deck in it.

Falco narrowed his eyes, and pulled out his own disk and deck. He slid both into their proper places, and it clicked into place.

"You have a lot of nerve to blame my father for something you brought on yourself…he believed duelists that didn't play fair needed to pay…" he said proudly about his father.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find I'm playing fair this time around child…now then. Let's duel!" The Rare Hunter shouted.

"Duel!" Falco acknowledged.

**(Falco: 8,000) - - - - - - - (Rare Hunter: 8,000)**

"I'll go first if you don't mind," Falco said, drawing his first card and he grinned.

"Okay then, that's good, that's good…I summon the Flying Kamakire in Attack Mode!" he shouted.

In front of him, in a small blizzard of white lights appeared the large, praying mantis looking creature. It buzzed loudly as it settled down on the ground. (1,400/900)

"Then, I'll just set these two cards facedown," he said as two facedown cards appeared on the field, "And end my turn. Your turn, crow-boy."

The Rare Hunter drew his cards, and while he did, Falco began to think.

_This dude's apparently got something with Exodia, based on the videos and what my dad said…he's gonna play a lot of stall cards and defenders, so I have to…_

His thoughts were interrupted by the Rare Hunter, as he pronounced the card he was playing.

"I play the powerful Precious Cards from Beyond!" He shouted, sliding the card into his disk.

"Huh?" Falco asked in surprise, watching the card appear, "But…what's that doing in your deck?" he asked him, "It doesn't stall…"

"We'll get to that in a moment," The Rare Hunter said, taking another card from his hand and presented it, "I play Stray Lambs! This gives me two Sheep Tokens to the field in Defense mode!"

Two, small, Lambs appeared on the field in front of him, floating blissfully in mid air. (0/0) X 2

"What are you DOING?" Falco finally asked, "What does any of this have to do with Exodia?"

"Such impatience…" he chuckled. "Being the ultimate Exodia duelist takes time! Now then…I can't summon this turn because I used Stray Lambs, but it says nothing about setting! So I'll sacrifice both of them…for this defense card."

The two, peaceful looking sheep disappeared, and both replaced by a single defense card. The Precious Cards from Beyond began to glow.

"Which enacts Precious Cards from Beyond, letting me draw two cards…"

He drew two cards.

"I think I'll play one now! Book of Taiyou, this let's me flip my face down monster up prematurely, and let you see the kind of monster your going to face!"

The facedown was suddenly replaced by a titanic monster, a large, golden monster that seemed like a disembodied chest with hulking arms and the sign for thunder on its chest. (2,600/2,200)

"Sanga of the Thunder?" Falco asked, cocking an eyebrow.

The Rare Hunter chuckled.

"I find it interesting how similar Exodia and the Gate Guardian components are. I like to refer to them as Puzzle monsters.

"See, while they themselves may not seem like much alone, when combined with the other pieces they could be damn near indestructible…!" He laughed.

"Sanga, Attack his Flying Kamakire!"

A large bolt of energy began to charge up near Sanga's sign, and a massive blast of electricity shot out and barreled down on the mantis. It shrieked as it exploded.

**(Falco: 8,000) - - - - - - - (Rare Hunter: 8,000)**

"Hm?" The Rare Hunter cocked an eyebrow, "You didn't lose any life points…"

"You can thank that little bit for my facedown!" Falco shouted, showing his new card he had just activated, "It's called Defense Draw. Since I would have taken battle damage, I can reduce that to zero. What's better, I can draw a card!"

He drew a card quickly, and pointed to the swirling vortex of energy from his side of the field.

"And since you destroyed my Kamakire, I can now Special Summon a Wind Monster from my deck! So what better person…than my monsters headliner! Harpie Lady One, come to my side!"

The long, red haired Harpie appeared with a loud shriek, and landed in front of her master. (1,300/1,400) -- (1,600/1,400)

The Rare Hunter sneered, and chuckled. "That thing can hardly hold a candle to my Sanga! It won't last a round!"

"Maybe not alone, but what's better than Sisterly love! I chain her summoning to Inferno Reckless Summon!"

The facedown flipped up, and two more whirlwinds formed.

"This allows me to Special Summon two more cards of the same name from my deck, so I'll be bringing out the other two Harpies!"

The Spiky, Blue haired Harpie appeared on the field, and the Short, red haired Harpie appeared beside her. All three Harpies nodded to each other, and faced forward. (1,300/1,400) -- (1,600/1,400) X 2

"Of course, you can summon any more copies of Sanga if you want." Falco dared.

"I don't wish to," the Rare Hunter growled.

_Not like I could…I don't have any more copies of the Gate Guardian Components in my deck…_

"I'll end my turn." The rare Hunter stated.

Falco drew his card, and gulped. "Okay then…I guess I'll have to set this card facedown, and end my turn by switching my Harpies into defense mode." He said.

One facedown card appeared in front of him, and all three Harpies kneeled down and guarded themselves with their claws.

The Rare Hunter drew his card, and chuckled as he looked at it. "I play the ever Popular, Graceful Charity." He said, showing the card.

The lovely angel appeared, and dropped its feathers on his deck. He drew three cards, and discarded two.

Suddenly, what appeared to be two small dandelion seeds appeared in front of him. (0/0)

"Huh?" Falco asked.

"That card I just discarded was my Dandelion, for when it goes to the graveyard for any reason, I get two Dandelion seeds like so!" he grinned, then chuckled, "Fortunately for you, I have to pass this turn, but I'll do that by setting two cards facedown…"

Falco drew his card, and looked at it. He then looked at the two angry looking seeds on his side of the field.

_It's obvious he's going to offer those things for another Gate Guardian Component…I can stop him right now by destroying them but then my Harpies will be wide open for an attack!_

He looked at his current card.

_I just have to hold it out…I can take care of the Gate Guardian no problem, I just have to wait…_

"I discard a monster in my hand, Harpie Queen. Since I discarded her, I can now take Harpies Hunting Ground from my deck to my hand…and I'll play it now!"

He slid a card into his discard slot, and pulled out a new card.

"And I think I'll play it!"

The entire arena around them transformed into a long, dreary looking desert, with vultures and other winged Beasts flying around the two of them.

All three Harpies grinned and shrieked loudly. (1,600/1,400) -- (1,800/1,600)

"Now, I think I'll end my turn…" he said, bracing himself for the inevitable battle.

The Rare Hunter drew his card and chuckled.

"OH, this is quite good, quite good indeed! I sacrifice both of my tokens for Kazejin!" he shouted with a laugh.

The two Dandelion seeds vanished into pixels in front of him, and in front of him appeared another odd looking piece, a green torso with the Japanese Symbol for wind on its chest and two arms. (2,400/2,200) -- (2,700/2,200)

Precious Cards from Beyond glowed again, and he drew his cards. He seethed.

_Dammit! Still no Exodia Pieces! Where are they!? They'd better now have hit the bottom of my deck…I don't wanna use plan B if I have a choice…_

"However, I shall not attack just yet," he stated calmly with a smirk. "However, I shall play the Spell card, the Shallow Grave." He said, showing the card. "Now we're both allowed to bring back a monster from our graveyards in facedown defense position!"

In front of both of the duelists appeared a defense monster.

"Heh, then I guess I'll end my turn…." He chuckled.

Falco drew his card and looked at his new card. He smirked. "Bad move, dude! I flip up my facedown monster, Harpie Queen!"

The facedown vanished, and in front of him appeared the silky haired Harpie Lady, flexing her claws. (1,900/1,200) -- (2,400/1,400)

"Harpie Queen, Attack his defense!" he shouted, pointing a finger forward, to which the Harpie Queen dive bombed.

Much to Falco's horror, the monster was Dandelion, which blew away in a wind and left behind, of course, two more Dandelion Seeds were left in its place. (0/0) X 2

"Damn…." Falco whispered, wincing heavily, "I end my turn…"

"Foolish move, brat!" The Rare Hunter grinned as he snatched the top card off of his deck, and looked at it.

"You left your monsters wide open! I offer my two tokens for the final piece of the puzzle, the all powerful Suijin!"

The final two tokens vanished from the field, and in their place appeared the frightening monster, the one with the fiendish face, and made of a pair of legs. (2,500/2,400)

Precious Cards from Beyond glowed once more, and he drew two cards off his disk. Upon seeing them, his eyes twitched.

_Damn! _He hissed in his head in pure rage, _How can they not be here?! Gah…fine…As much as I hate to admit it…_

…_Time for Plan B…_

"I play a very powerful Spell card called Blasting Vein." He said as calmly as he could, showing the card to him, "Now I can get rid of one faceup Spell or Trap card I don't want anymore, and destroyed it. However, in return, I can draw two cards!"

Burning cracks appeared all around the Precious Cards from Beyond, and the whole thing began to shake. Suddenly, it exploded into fragments of obviously burning rock, and he drew his two cards.

Upon seeing them, he pointed to his facedowns, which both flipped up.

"Now, I'll play both of my facedown's, called Break the Seal!" He shouted, grinning. "With these cards, I can send them both to the graveyard, and in exchange take any card with the word "Forbidden One" in its name, and add it to my hand!"

Both of the cards exploded into pixels, and he took a card, presenting it to the young Wheeler: Exodia the Forbidden One.

He grinned as he tucked it into his hand.

"Kazejin, Suijin, Sanga, Attack his Harpie Ladies One, Two, and Three! All of you!"

All three of the Elemental Being's began to charge up their respective element, and at the same time sent forth a burning combination of attacks…

"Hold it right there!" Falco shouted, "You're not the only one who can play traps! I play Harpie Lady – Sparrow Formation!"

The Three Harpies leapt into the air and formed a colossal burning bird, and it let loose a shriek as it beat it's wing, blasting apart the elemental charges.

The Rare Hunter narrowed his eyes.

"Fine…moving onto my second main phase, I'll complete the rest of my Combo! I first offer my three Elemental being's for the true beast! Arise, Gate Guardian!"

All three of the monsters evaporated into pixels, and a titanic creature appeared. It was better said to be a combination of the three beings, merely stacked on top of each other. It let loose a demonic roar. (3,750/3,400)

"Now then…I play Polymerization." The Rare Hunter continued, showing the card.

"Huh?" Falco asked out in surprise, caught off guard by the giant guardian. "Polymerization? But…what are you fusing?"

"Plan B, of course,' The Rare hunter stated ominously.

Suddenly, much to his shock, the head of the infamous Exodia appeared beside the giant warrior, and both were sucked into the portal.

"I use a card even I didn't know existed until my master gave it to me!" The Rare Hunter announced, throwing his hands out, "Come forth, Guardian of Exodia!"

The Guardian of Exodia was indeed a very frightening looking creature. Its skin was golden looking, and it had the same build as Gate Guardian, but it looked more like Exodia than anything. It held a giant shield with, big surprise, Exodia's face on it. (3,400/4,000)

"Um…wow…" Falco said, cocking an eyebrow slowly. "But…what does it—"

"Do?" The Rare Hunter finished and plucked out his deck, fanning them out, "It's going to win this duel for me, that's what…See, when he's summoned, I can now remove all five pieces of Exodia from anywhere, should they be in the Graveyard, my hand or the deck."

He didn't need to look long, as Fate had indeed transpired against him; all four remaining Exodia pieces had hit the complete bottom of his deck. He pulled them out, and showed them along with the head. They all suddenly vanished into pixels.

"You're REMOVING them from play?" asked Falco, "But…why?"

"You'll find that out when I start my next turn," The Rare Hunter glared darkly. "Now GO."

_If there was ever a time to draw Harpies Pet Baby Dragon…_Falco thought, looking at his deck.

He drew his card, and knew he wouldn't get that lucky.

"Okay…I switch Harpies Queen to defense mode…and end my turn!" he exclaimed, with some fright in his voice, he gulped to motion this.

The Rare Hunter moved to his deck, and suddenly sighed. "Ah…actually, I won't draw this turn," He stated calmly.

Suddenly, as if reforming, a card made itself out of pixels in his hand from the bottom up.

"What?" Falco asked, "What was that?"

"That's my big guy's effect,' The Rare hunter explained, "As long as he's on the field, I can skip my draw phase, and in exchange I can take one Piece of Exodia from my removed from play section, and add it to my hand!"

Falco's eyes widened.

_So that's it…_He thought to himself, _Either I take that thing down in 4 more turns, or I'm completely screwed! With all five pieces in his hand…_

He shuddered as he closed his eyes and images of Exodia from his fathers old tapes scored through his mind, each one ending with someone screaming in agony…

_Come ON Wheeler! This is just how he wants you to act! Scared! All he can do is freak you out! You can't wig out like this, not when your souls on the line!_

"Guardian of Exodia!" The Rare Hunter exclaimed, pointing forward. "Attack his Harpie Lady One!"

The Eyes on the Guardian of Exodia's shield began to glow with a golden light and a massive beam launched out and struck the Harpie. She shrieked in agony as she exploded.

The Harpies all groaned as they all fell 300 Attack points.

"To end my turn, I'll summon this monster: The Dimensional Alchemist!"

What appeared to be a younger version of one of the Monarchs appeared in front of him, with spiky, silver armor. (1,300/200)

Falco drew his card and looked at it. He nodded a little.

_Well…I can hurt him with this, it won't last but it'll be a good solution! For all I know, that Dimensional Alchemist can do something to hurt my girls…_

"I summon Birdface in Attack mode," he said, sliding the card in.

In front of him appeared the large, humanoid bird like creature, cawing as he landed. (1,600/1,600) -- (1,800/1,800)

"Attack the Dimensional Alchemist!" He shouted, to which the Falcon obliged.

The creature brandished his claws, and flew in at tops speeds, slicing his claws at the warrior like creature. He exploded into pixels.

"Heh, I wanted you to do that, you know…" The Rare Hunter smirked.

_Of course you did…_Falco sighed in his mind.

Another card appeared in his hand, and he chuckled.

"Since you destroyed Dimensional Alchemist, one of my Removed from Play cards goes to my hand, so you just helped me one step closer," he chuckled.

Falco narrowed his eyes, and slid a card into his disk. A facedown card appeared behind Birdface.

"Just go…"

**(Falco: 8,000) - - - - - - - (Rare Hunter: 7,500)**

The Rare Hunter once again didn't reach for his deck, as another card appeared in his hand.

"Now then, that overwhelming eyesore is getting old," he chuckled. "So I'm gonna have Guardian of Exodia crush your little brown birdie," He said as Guardian of Exodia's shield began to glow.

"Hold on there, I'm playing my facedown card, Altar for Tribute!" Falco shouted.

The Birdface turned into a glowing, swirling ball of energy that floated into his chest, and he sighed.

"Now you can't Target my monster, because he's not on the field anymore. He's in my life points," He grinned.

The Rare Hunter glared at him, as the shield's target turned, and slammed into Harpie Lady Two. She, like her sister, exploded.

"Ahh, Target Practice loses its luster when all the targets can't fight back," The Rare Hunter taunted, smirking at him, "I end my turn…"

To keep his hand size, he discarded a card, revealed to be a card called Card from a Different Dimension.

Falco drew his card, and winced at his current cards. Not a single thing that could help him…he had to hope for the best next turn.

"I…I end my turn…" He mumbled, wincing.

Another card appeared in the Rare Hunters hand, and he grinned. "Heh…too easy…destroy the Harpie Lady Three!"

Once more, the shield began to glow, and a massive beam of energy struck the final Harpie and blew her apart.

The Guardian of Exodia groaned as his body turned a deep gray, like a giant statue.

"Heh, so I can't attack for a few turns," he whispered, closing his eyes. "It doesn't matter…it doesn't stop his effect," he said, "Now make your final move boy…you die next turn,"

Falco closed his eyes as he drew his top card, and he panted.

_If there was ever a time I needed a card…if there was ever a time I needed the Wheeler luck…it would be now…please!_

He looked at his card, and his eyes widened.

"I play the spell card, Arms Hole!" He shouted, "With this, I need to discard the top card off my deck to the graveyard, but in exchange I can take one Equip card from my deck and add it to my hand!"

He discarded the card (Smirking as he saw what it was) he took a card from his deck.

"I switch Harpie Queen to Attack mode…and equip her with Phalanx Pike!"

A rather odd looking weapon appeared in her hand, a golden staff with three spikes at the top.

"Now with this card, my monster gains 900 Attack for every card of the same name in the Graveyard! And For your Information, my queen counts as a Harpie lady on the field…"

The Harpies score shot up to 4,800!

"HUH?" The Rare Hunter cried in shock.

"Harpie Queen, Avenge your daughters and strike that…thing, down!" he shouted.

The Harpie Queen launched forward, the pike in her hand glowing a bright yellow energy as it neared the colossal creature. She erupted from the other side of the massive shield, and plunged her weapon into the great beast's forehead. Nothing happened, and suddenly an echoing roar was heard over Kaibaland, and the great beast exploded into several thousand pixels.

The Rare Hunter fell to his knees as in shock. He growled aloud…

"And there you have it," Falco began, calmly, "Your mightiest beast is gone, and one of your Exodia pieces is removed from play. Face it, your ace in the hole is gone in both ways."

The Rare Hunter shakily stood up, panting, "My ace is the hole is far from gone brat…"

He grinned as he looked up.

"In fact…your pain is just starting…"

…

Philip stared at the currently blank looking card in podium he was looking at, and chuckled a little bit. As of now, the card was nothing more than a white border and he held up his hands, which began to glow with a purple energy. The card began to glow too, and Philip frowned. All that appeared was the effect border.

"Hm, damn." He mumbled, crossing his arms. "I guess I don't have enough power to make this thing real…"

He looked around at his current followers, Tony, who was leaning against the wall sleeping, and Matt, who currently hung off to the side, looking very zombie like.

"That…should change very soon." He grinned a little bit.

…

The Rare Hunter drew his card and smirked at his new current card. "I am the Ultimate Exodia duelist, and I plan to prove it here and now! I play the spell card, Burial from a Different Dimension!"

He took the remaining piece of Exodia and placed it into his graveyard.

"Then, I play the spell card, Magic Stone Excavation. With this card, I can now discard two cards from my hand, and take back one Spell from my Graveyard."

He discarded two cards, and to Falco's shock, it was the Left and Right leg of the Forbidden one, and he took back a spell.

"Then, I'll play the card I took back, Graceful Charity!"

The heavenly angel appeared over the stalk looking man, and he drew three cards. He didn't give them any looks as he discarded two more cards, the Left and Right Arm of the Forbidden one.

"Yeah…there any point to this?" Falco asked, not liking where this was going in the very least.

"Why, yes it is," the Rare Hunter chuckled, "With all the Exodia Pieces in my Graveyard, I'm now allowed to play….Contract with Exodia!"

A massively heavy feel descended over the field, and Falco found it hard to breath. The ground suddenly pushed upward, but sank back down, as if something was trying to push through the ground.

Falco begrudgingly thought of the Graveyard dream he had not too long ago, and he winced heavily as it pushed upward again this time, making a crack in the ground. One more push up, and the ground erupted, a black fist where the hole was, and a massive form rising up…

It was none other than Exodia Necross, its skin black and steel like as it growled aloud, throwing up it's arms as it let loose a titanic roar. (1,800/0)

Much to Falco's shock, he curled up, curling his titanic fists in front of him.

"He's in Defense?"

"Well of course he is, stupid!" The Rare Hunter growled, "I'm pretty sure 1,800 Attack is a LOT less than 4,800!"

"Okay! Geez!" Falco snapped, drawing his card. He looked at it.

_I know that thing can't be destroyed in battle, when Sango used that thing against Jake it was a monster…I have one guy in this deck that can help me take him down…_

He scowled. This certainly wasn't it.

"I just end my turn…" he scowled.

The Rare Hunter drew his card, and the Exodia Necross rose to (2,300/0).

"Heh, perfect, I play my Mystical Space Typhoon; your Phalanx Pike is destroyed!"

Much to the Harpie Queen's shock, the Pike in her hand exploded into pixels, and she fell to 2,100 once more.

Exodia Necross slowly rose up slowly, its body joints creaking slowly as it straightened itself up. The Harpie Queen took a step back, gulping.

"Exodia Necross, rip her apart!" He shouted, laughing insanely.

Necross slowly rose up both hands, a glowing ball of energy in his hands that illuminated his entirely black figure, making it glow almost golden until the ball took on a rather purple hue, and threw it forward, much like the original Exodia would do. The beam struck the Harpies Queen, who had a look of shock as she lurched forward, and exploded into pixels.

The Rare Hunter laughed loudly, throwing a card into his duel disk and two facedown cards appeared behind him. "That ends my turn…"

**(Falco: 7,800) - - - - - - - (Rare Hunter: 6,100)**

Falco drew his card and took a deep shuddering breath. He sighed as he slid the card into his duel disk, and a facedown spell/trap appeared before him. "That's all I can do…"

The Rare Hunter drew his card and looked at it, laughing loudly. Exodia Necross rose another 500 Life Points, and he roared in power.

"Exodia, attack him directly!"

Once again, the golden, majestic ball appeared in his hand, and just as before, the evilness in Exodia Necross corrupted the ball from a beautiful ball of golden to a dark, murky, purple inky like color, and he launched forward. It struck Falco, and he roared in agony as he flew back several feet. When the ball vanished, he landed on the ground and skidded a few more feet.

Aside from the ringing in his ears, he could still hear the Rare Hunters insane cackling, and as he rose up, he winced. He looked down to see a massive hole in his shirt, and his chest was smoking.

He gingerly touched it, and he winced. "Ow…that actually hurts…what's going on?" he asked to himself, but the Rare Hunter still heard.

"It's simple, isn't it brat? See, all you see before you…is a Shadow Game! The monsters are as real as you and me! And same goes for their attacks….you're lucky that last blow didn't kill you…"

"Pays to be a Wheeler…we're not only thick headed, we can take the toughest blow and brush it off…" He shakily rose up, and groaned, "So that wasn't anything…"

"Oh, it will be something soon enough…" He smirked, "I end my turn now…and do try to make this a bit more interesting…"

**(Falco: 5,000) - - - - - - - (Rare Hunter: 6,100)**

_Yeah, more interesting…_He thought to himself as he snatched the top card off of his disk and looked at it, _He just wants target practice…all my Harpies are in my Graveyard, and I can't grab them. I have Hysteric Party in my field, but if I use it now, they'll all just get crushed, and that thing can't even be destroyed in battle…and I have a very strong feeling I know what that facedown card is…_

"I set one monster in defense, and end my turn!" He shouted, a facedown monster appearing in front of him.

The Rare Hunter drew his next card, and once again, Exodia Necross rose to 3,300. He let loose an earth shattering roar, one of which shook the rides around them at their foundations.

Exodia charged up another ball of energy, it went from gold to Purple, and he shot it forward. Harpie Girl appeared on the card, and she screamed in agony as she exploded.

The Rare Hunter looked rather cautious, and looked at his facedown card. "I…I end my turn…" He mumbled.

Falco narrowed his eyes, and drew his card. His eyes widened, and he suddenly grinned. "Okay then, old man! You wanna mess with a Wheeler, you're gonna get it! I play my facedown, Hysteric Party!"

His facedown card flipped up, and he slid a card into his disk. In four gusts of wind, Harpie Lady One, Two and Three appeared, and beside them the Harpie Queen. (1,300/1,400) -- (1,800/1,600 X 3) (1,900/1,200) -- (2,400/1,400)

"And as a result, I can now destroy one of your Spells or traps on the field, since I still have my Field Spell out!"

Harpie Lady One rose up her whip, and snapped it forward. Just as Falco feared, it was Spirit Barrier.

"Ha! Like it matters, none of your little birdies can attack my guy, and even then he won't die! None of your spells or traps will work on him!"

"No, they won't, but then again…that's what monsters are for," He grinned, an evil smirk on his face, "I know the loopholes of tall, dark and disfigured over there, and it says nothing in the text that he can't be beaten by MONSTER effects!"

The Rare Hunter blinked, and looked down at the card. After reading it for a moment, he gasped. "No! This can't be!" he shouted, taking a step back.

"So I'm going to use this little fact, and summon Harpies Pet Baby Dragon!"

In front of him, between the four Harpie Ladies appeared a rather cute creature, like the legendary Harpies Pet Dragon, expect a great deal smaller. (1,200/600)

"Now, despite my little guy's size, he's got a WHOLE lot of effects worth of kicking your sorry scare crow ass," Falco chuckled, "His first effect! If I have at least one Harpie Lady out, He's the only guy you can attack.

"Second effect! If I have at least TWO Harpie Lady's out, his attack points are doubled!"

The Dragon chirped innocently, as it was surrounded by an orange color. (1,200/600) -- (2,400/1,200)

"And third effect, when I have at least three Harpie Lady's on the field, I can destroy one card on the field! And I'll give you three guesses on which I'm gonna destroy, and the first two don't count."

The Harpies Pet Baby Dragon chirped loudly and cutely, letting loose a torrent of obviously burning hot flames. It struck Necross, and the great giant exploded into pixels.

"No! Please, not this! Anything but this!" He exclaimed, falling to his knees, his eyes wide and obviously in shock. He bowed his head and seemed like he was about to cry.

"Now then girls, time for Clean Up!" Falco shouted, everyone get him!"

"Hold it right there! I have one more ace up my sleeve!" The Rare Hunter shouted feebly, and threw his hand out, "I play my facedown, Scapegoat!"

In front of him, the four multicolored sheep tokens appeared in front of him. (0/0) X 4

There was a moment's silence as they appeared, and suddenly Falco found himself cracking up.

"Hm?" The rare Hunter mumbled to himself, "What is so damned funny?"

"You realize the irony of you using my father's card in your deck when you wanted to get REVENGE on him, right?" He grinned, "Oh, the irony…it's too much."

The irony was just starting to sink into his mind too, and the Rare Hunter clenched a fist.

"Just go!" he shouted out angrily.

"Yeesh, testy…" Falco chuckled, "Harpie Ladies One, Two, Three, and Queen, destroy his tokens!"

Like a well tuned Machine, the four Harpies rose into the air, and dive bombed the four sheep tokens, filling the air with multicolored pixels.

The Harpies Pet Baby Dragon rose up into the air…and the Rare Hunter gasped.

He screamed loudly as he was covered in orange flames, and he fell to his knees. His body was smoking, and he was twitching rather sporadically.

**(Falco: 5,000) - - - - - - - (Rare Hunter: 3,400)**

"Ahhh, now this is fun!" Falco grinned a bit. "Now come on, old man! Give me one more turn, see if you can turn this thing around!" he grinned.

The Rare Hunter drew his card slowly, and looked at it. He presented it to the young boy, Card of Sanctity.

Falco frowned. They both drew a full hand of six cards. The Rare Hunters eyes widened, and he laughed. He rose up slowly. "Ace in the hole brat…this is the thing that takes you down!

"I return every monster in my graveyard from my graveyard to my deck…"

A whole stack of cards slid out, and he grabbed them quickly, shuffling them back into his deck.

"To Special Summon my best monster! Come forth, Exodius, The Ultimate Forbidden One!"

A massive flashing light appeared behind him, and the ground shook as the massive being rose up. It looked exactly like Exodia, only his skin was far darker, and a much more ominous feel came from it. (?/0)

Falco had to crane his head up to look at the massive beast.

"Now, I bet you're thinking "Why does he only have a Question Mark for an Attack?" Well, first, I'm going to play one of his support cards, The Forbidden One's Wrath!"

Exodius let loose a roar as he began to glow with a dark energy, and he lifted up his hands.

"With Exodius on the field, I can now destroy one Spell or trap on your side of the field!" he exclaimed.

A massive torrent of energy ripped from the giant, and it struck the Hysteric Party, causing it to explode. The Four Harpies, summoned through that effect, screamed loudly and exploded into pixels.

The Harpies Pet Baby Dragon chirped in almost fear as it's stats went back to normal, and it seemed to shrink back in size.

"Now then, moving on. My Exodius is a complicated creature, for when he attacks, I can send one monster from my deck to my graveyard, and for every Normal Monster in there, he gains 1,000 Attack points. If I have all five Exodia Pieces in there because of this effect, I win!" He laughed.

"Yeah, I kinda figured…little hitch in your plan, though, dude." Falco stated. "Your guy is way too weak to beat my Dragon, even if you use his effect this turn."

"True, but I have ways to fix that," he stated, "For I equip Exodius with Mist Body, now as long as he remains on the field he cannot be destroyed in battle. Exodius, attack his Dragon!"

Exodius lifted up his arm, and groaned aloud, forcing a fist. Before he threw it, the Rare Hunter pulled out a card: The Left Leg of the Forbidden. Exodius rose to 1,000 Attack, and before the attack could connect the dragon breathed a blast of fire, scorching the giants fist and making him pull it back before anymore could happen.

**(Falco: 6,000) - - - - - - - (Rare Hunter: 3,200)**

"Was there ANY Point to that?" Falco asked, tilting his head.

"Yeah, because since I couldn't beat your monster, it lets me play this spell card, Second Chance for Glory!"

He played the Quick Play Spell, and Exodius began to glow.

"Since my monster failed to destroy one of yours, I'm now allowed a second attack!"

Exodius raised his fist once more, and threw it, the Rare Hunter discarded the Right Leg of the Forbidden one, and Exodius' Attack rose to 2,000. It connected with the Harpies Pet Baby Dragon, who squealed in agony and erupted into pixels.

**(Falco: 5,200) - - - - - - - (Rare Hunter: 3,200)**

Falco glared darkly at him. "Bastard…" he seethed.

The Rare Hunter merely laughed, closing his eyes. "Three more attacks, and you're finished. I end my turn."

Falco drew his card, looking at his current 7 card hand.

"I play…" He whispered, "Pot of Avarice…returning All three of my Harpies, the Queen, and my Pet Baby Dragon to my deck…"

He took the five cards from his graveyard, and added them to his deck. After shuffling, he drew two more cards.

He looked at the eight cards in his hand, and scowled. He bent his head, and slid two cards into his disk, two facedown Spells and Traps appeared in front of him.

"That's the best I could do…" he mumbled, closing his eyes.

The Rare Hunter drew his card and smirked at it. "I first play the spell card…Necromancy."

Falco's graveyard began to glow with a bright light, and he looked at it strangely. Suddenly, much to his shock, three Spirits flew out and Materialized in front of him.

First, Harpies Girl appeared in front of him (500/500) -- (700/700) Then Flying Kamakire appeared beside that. (1,400/900) Finally, Birdface appeared beside the bug, and all curled up in defense. (1,600/1,600) -- (1,800/1,800)

"But…what's the Point of THIS?" Falco asked, taken aback by the sudden appearance of his monsters.

"So I can fit in more attacks, with Diffusion Wave Motion!"

He fell 1,000 Life Points, and Exodius rose up a fist. He growled and slammed a fist into Birdface, who erupted into a fury of feathers as the Rare Hunter discarded the Right arm of the Forbidden One, and it rose to 3,000.

The Flying Kamakire didn't have a chance as it rose another 1,000 Attack points to 4,000, as the Left Arm of the Forbidden One was discarded, and it exploded into bug guts.

"Farewell, Wheeler…" The Rare Hunter snarled, "Attack his Harpie Girl and finish him off!"

"Hold it right there!" Falco shouted, throwing his hand up and grinning, "I activate my trap, one that was put there as a decoy but obviously you didn't care, so thanks for playing it! It's called Elemental Barrier!"

A massive wall of green energy shot up, and struck Exodius, who screamed and took a step back.

"What did you do!?" The Rare Hunter screamed in horror and shock, holding his head in his hand.

"It's simple! My Elemental Barrier can activate when I lost two monsters of the same element, and I was about to lose another, I can negate the Attack and end the battle phase!"

"Ooooh, you little BRAT!" The Rare Hunter roared. "I end my turn then! You're only delaying the inevitable!"

"Yeah, but I'm delaying it, ain't I?!" He shouted. "So much for the unstoppable Exodia, getting destroyed by a Winged Beast, a Dragon, and a trap! Exodia's so over used, everyone can counter EVERY form of it! I can't believe I was scared of you!"

The Rare Hunter was furious at that, and his eyes narrowed darkly. "You simple little brat! Next turn, I'll be sure to give you something to be afraid of!"

He looked at his one card hand, and scowled. "I end my turn!"

Falco drew his card, and stared at it. He looked at it, and suddenly grinned. "That's what I'm talking about! I play something my mom used to love to play…Harpies Feather Duster!"

The Rare Hunter gasped as the Harpie Girl clenched a large feather duster, in the shape of one of the Harpies wings, and waved it. The Mist Body spell erupted into pixels.

"Then, I summon Sonic Shooter in Attack Mode!" he shouted, throwing a card into his disk.

In front of him appeared an odd looking monster, like a humanoid bird with long, sleek blue feathers and long wings. (1,300/300) -- (1,500/500)

"He's got a handy little effect, if you have no Spells or traps on the field, he can attack you directly!"

The bird like creature cawed out and dashed forward, right under Exodius. The Rare Hunter cried out in shock as the talons on the monster slashed at his chest.

He panted as he rose up. "Erg…' he panted, wincing heavily.

**(Falco: 5,200) - - - - - - - (Rare Hunter: 900)**

Falco grinned as he waved his hand, ending his turn.

The Rare Hunter drew his card quickly, and looked at it. "Exodius, finish him off! Destroy him!"

Exodius began to throw a fist…

"Hold it right there!" He shouted, throwing a hand up, "I activate my Trap card, Icarus Attack!"

Sonic Shooter suddenly erupted into flames!

"By giving up one of my Winged Beast monsters, I can now destroy up to two cards on the field! However, the only one I'm going for is that titanic eyesore!"

Sonic Shooter let loose a caw reminiscent of a bald eagle and shot at Exodius. The giant didn't know what to do, and roared as the burning creature slammed into it. He roared and exploded into fragments of rock.

The Rare Hunter fell to his knees, as if in shock, staring up at the smoldering crater Exodius once was.

"All my Exodia forms…gone…" he whispered, in shock.

"Ready to give up yet old man?" he grinned.

The Rare Hunter looked at his hand, and grit his teeth. "Never!" He shouted, "I set one monster in defense, and one card facedown! That ends my turn!"

Falco drew his card…

"I activate my facedown card!" he shouted as it flipped up beside him, "No Exodia duelist should be without Backup Soldier! Now I can take three of my Exodia pieces and add them to my hand!"

He took both legs and the right arm of the Forbidden one, and added them to his hand.

_I think I know what he's doing…_Falco thought, _He's going desperate, and gonna try and assemble Exodia the old fashioned way!_

He looked at his current hand, and grinned.

_Sorry buddy, not gonna happen…_

"I play the Spell card, Summon Storm. Now I can Special Summon a wind Monster form my hand to the field, like Whirlwind Prodigy."

In front of him appeared the young, rambunctious man with the birds and bats floating around him appeared. (1,500/1,600)

"And I'll sacrifice him, activating his effect, counting as two tributes! I'll use him to summon Harpies Pet Dragon!" he shouted.

The young man vanished and in its place appeared the massive monster, like a grown up version of the Baby Dragon from earlier. It roared aloud, spittle flying from its jaws. (2,000/2,500)

"Harpies Dragon, attack his defense monster with Harpie Fire Inferno!"

The Pet Dragon roared and blasted a mote of fire out of its jaws, towards the facedown. They were deflected however, as a Spirit Reaper appeared on the card. (300/200)

Falco crossed his arms angrily. "Just go…" He seethed.

The Rare Hunter drew his card and looked at it. "I think I play the ever popular, Pot of Greed." He said, showing the card.

He drew his two cards and looked at them. He chuckled. "Now then, I play this: Monster Reincarnation."

He discarded his card he just drew, and showed the card he was just taking back: The Left Leg of the Forbidden one. He added it to his hand, and chuckled. "Heh and that'll end my turn."

_Okay…spoke too soon on that…_he thought to himself as he drew a card. _Four cards in his hand, four pieces of Exodia…I think I liked the other forms now. For all I know, he's gonna draw his last piece next turn…and that scares me._

He looked at his new card and slid it in. "I summon Harpie Lady One."

The Red Haired Harpie Appeared with a gust of wind. (1,300/1,400) -- (1,800/1,600)

The Dragon roared loudly at the new monster that appeared, and let loose a small burst of flame from its jaw. (2,000/2,500) -- (2,600/2,500)

"Since attacking would he pointless, I end my turn."

The Rare Hunter drew his card, and smirked. "Heh, this works. I summon Deep Diver!"

In front of him appeared an odd creature, like that of a man in a scuba diving suit. He held a pick in one hand. (1,000/1,100)

"Attack Harpie Lady One!" He shouted, throwing a hand forward.

"Huh?" Falco asked, taken aback.

The Monster dashed forward, pick axe in hand and swung it feebly. It didn't last as the Harpie Lady swung with her claw in an almost bored state. The monster was obliterated.

**(Falco: 5,200) - - - - - - - (Rare Hunter: 100)**

"Heh, wow, you wanted to lose THAT badly," Falco grinned.

"Keep laughing, Wheeler," he chuckled, "Since Deep Diver was Destroyed, I can take one Monster from my deck, and put it on top of my deck."

He took Exodia the Forbidden One and put it on top of his deck.

"I end my turn…now then, if you can't draw anything this turn…" he grinned, "You lose."

Falco closed his eyes and gulped heavily. _This is it…if there's such a thing as Heart of the cards, Wheeler Luck, I'm willing to become a full time believer!_

He drew his card, and his eyes widened. "No…way…' He grinned, "I summon Harpie Lady Two!"

The short, red headed Harpie appeared this time. (1,300/1,400) -- (1,800/1,600)

"Now then…I'm gonna show you what you get for getting anxious, for trying to get the best off my old man. For trying to make me scared, and for trying to beat me with lowbrow tactics!

"I activate Harpie Lady - Phoenix Formation!"

The Harpies suddenly cawed out, and shot into the air. Their bodies were covered in blue flames, and they formed into the blue phoenix, cawing out.

"This not only destroys your monster, but takes its attack out of your life points! Heh…ironic…you would have won if you didn't do that."

The phoenix dive bombed the Spirit Reaper, and it exploded into triangles. The Rare Hunter screamed in pain…

**(Falco: 5,200) - - - - - - - (Rare Hunter: 0)**

He fell to his knees, and seemed to look up to the sky, the darkness of the shadow game still evident. "Please master, give me another chance! He…he just got lucky! I can beat him, I swear it! Just give me another—"

His sentence was cut off, and he gagged, grasping his throat. Giving off what appeared to be a death rattle, he fell onto his face, and was silent.

It scared Falco quite a bit. "Master…?" He asked himself. "What is he talking about…?"

He watched as the darkness of the shadow game eventually disappeared, and he looked up at the sky.

"Something's telling me something ain't right in old Domino…I need to talk to the others tomorrow…"

He dashed off before anything else could surprise him. A dark form lurked out of the shadows, and touched the body. It evaporated into darkness, and the being chuckled.

"Heh…more for me…"

It disappeared, and the whole duel a figure stood near one of the Kuribohs. He talked into the mic in his hood. "Master…it's just as we feared…

…He's back…"

**…**

**Guardian of Exodia  
Type**: Spellcaster/Dark/Effect  
**Attack/Defense**: 3,400/4,000)  
**Stars**: 10  
**Effect**: "Exodia the Forbidden One" + "Gate Guardian"

This card can only be Fusion summoned by fusing the two above monsters. On the turn this card is Fusion Summoned, remove from play, from your hand, deck, or Graveyard, the following Monsters: "Exodia the Forbidden One" "Right Leg of the Forbidden One" "Left Leg of the Forbidden One" "Right Arm of the Forbidden One" and "Left Arm of the Forbidden One". During your Draw Phase, you may Skip your original draw to add one of the above pieces from you removed from play Pile to your hand.

_Note: This card was created by my friend and Beta, Metal Overlord 2.0. All creative credit goes to him._

**Forbidden One's Wrath**  
**Type**: Spell  
**Image**: Exodius firing a blast of energy and striking the Clock Tower Prison into splinters.  
**Effect**: Activate only when you control an "Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden One" on your side of the field. Destroy one Spell or Trap on your opponents Side of the field. No spells or traps can be activated to negate this cards effect.

**Second Chance for Glory  
Type**: Quick-Play Spell  
**Image**: Marauding Captain, obviously as injured from the art work of Battle Scarred, leaping up and attempting a second strike against Terrorking Archfiend, who looked amazed  
**Effect**: Activate only when one of your monsters attacks an opponent's monster and fails to destroy the monster as a result of battle. The Monster that attacked may attack the same monster a second time this battle phase.

**Necromancy  
Type**: Spell  
**Image**: An unknown being standing in front of a graveyard, the souls of all the graves rising out of the graves.  
**Effect**: Special Summon up to Four monsters from your opponents graveyard to the opponents side of the field in face up defense mode. When a monster special summoned by this effect is destroyed, decrease the ATK of one monster on the field by 600.

_Note: "Necromancy" was first used by Yugi in the Anime Episode "Clash in the Coliseum" (Part 3) All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode_

**Elemental Barrier  
Type**: Trap  
**Image**: A Nightmare Penguin standing atop an ice berg with a large pillar of water in front of him, on the other side a confused looking Cyber End Dragon  
**Effect**: Activate only when two monsters of the same attribute on your side of the field are destroyed as a result of battle, and a third is about to be destroyed. Negate the Attack, and end the battle phase.

…

And so the plot thickens! If you think the others were safe in bed while this happened, think again. Facing their own trial, Falco and Claire face off against a pair of infamous tag team duelists. Find out next time in "Yin Yang Complex" Coming soon!...Hopefully.


	12. Yin Yang Complex

Michael: Hey all! Glad you're here, just in time for another sweet chapter of my story! Ain't that right, Disclaimer?  
Disclaimer: (Curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth) Arrows…metal teeth…you're all insane…  
Michael: Yep! That's his little way of saying I don't own Yugioh! Well, enjoy guys!  
Disclaimer: Insane, insane!  
Michael: Shut up…

…

**Yin Yang Complex**

…

"Ooooh, man!" Claire yawned aloud as he stretched her arms slowly, her eyes winced a bit as she relaxed once again. Leo hopped into her lap and snuggled himself against her stomach. "What a day of dueling, huh Leo?" She giggled.

She flopped back in the bed and yawned against, stretching and wriggling about in her pajamas. "Sleep sounds really good right now…"

She had had quite a dinner with her parents, a congratulatory meal that she'd won the first round. Her parents were so proud of her, her mother hugging her, her sister hugging her, and her father asking how her so called 'boyfriend' had done.

"Dad's so protective…" She mumbled softly as she stroked her cats head a little bit more.

Leo seemed to give off a small meow of approval, nodding its head. Or maybe it was just nuzzling his head against hers. Either way.

"Sleep sounds really good right now…" She echoed her own words, scratching behind Leo's head a little bit more, and rubbed her own eyes. She got up to turn off the light, and welcomed the darkness that filled her room.

Climbing back into her bed, she snuggled up with Leo, since Michael wasn't there, and slowly began to sleep…

…

Marie wished she could easily have a normal family discussion with her family like Claire or her boyfriend did. But no, she would have to be harassed by her brother who, mind you, hated her very existence.

And tonight seemed a lot worse.

"You're some piece of work." He seethed to her, narrowing his eyes at his sister from across the table.

"Hm?" Marie asked, looking up in confusion.

"You enter a tournament." He said, in an oddly calm voice. "You win the first duel, but you don't even use your real deck."

"What about it?" Marie asked, cocking an eyebrow. "There a rule that says I have to use Amazoness'?"

"No…but you could have some damn respect and at the very least used dad's card!" he slammed his fork on the table. "What? Dad suddenly too good for you? You can't even use his damn card in your deck?"

"I…I never said that Jason—" Marie whispered.

"Just save it!" She shouted. "You're just giving me all sorts of reasons to hate you aren't you? You can't even use dad's card when you're in one of the biggest tournaments of your life! Is your damn ego just THAT inflated?!"

"JASON!" Their mother shrieked, slamming her hands on the table. "That is ENOUGH!"

There was a deep silence amongst the family, and he stood up abruptly. "I'm going to bed." He seethed. "I hope you lose tomorrow."

With that, he walked up the stairs and slammed his door shut.

Marie sniffed a bit. "He's right you know…" She mumbled, closing her eyes. "I have been disrespecting daddy by not using his card…"

"Oh honey…you know that's not right." Her mother said soothingly.

"But it is!" She shouted in return. "I get into the first round of my tournament, and I don't even use daddy's card!" She sniffed. "I'm gonna…I'm gonna go to bed mom…I'll see you in the morning…"

"Okay honey…" She sighed. Just once she wanted a nice, family meal without so much screaming…

She looked sadly at the picture of her husband, grinning proudly at his daughter Marie.

"Oh Gerald…why did you have to leave…"

…

Philip was not pleased in the very least when he found out the Rare Hunter had lost his duel, and yet when he calmed down, he was actually quite content.

Tony, on the other hand, was curled up in the corner. The anger of Philip had almost ripped the room apart and Matt…well, just stayed in the corner like the zombie he felt like.

"I don't know why I was so furious." Philip smiled a bit, "I gain more when he lost…my own fault." He smirked. He rose up from his chair and walked over to the three remaining shimmering portals of the heroes. He waved his hand, and Michaels face vanished, leaving only Marie and Claire.

"Lovers in a double duel would be too…cheesy." Philip mumbled. "So…the femme fettles would be quite an interesting match up…"

He waved his hand, and the two images of Marie and Claire began to writhe in their bed…

Philip paused for a moment.

"I just hope those idiots know what to do with the card I gave them…" he sighed.

…

Claire was currently standing in a pool of crystal clear water, the water not too hot, not too warm, not too chilled, not to cold, just the right temperature.

Her hands were currently clasped in a gentle prayer, her lips moving up and down in a silent prayer. It was unlike anything she had heard before in her own sense, but it seemed…right.

As she opened her hands, a small blue ball of energy seemed to appear in her hands. The ball was small, no bigger than a marble. Though small, it was something else. Warmth and other emotions seemed to flow from the small bead of energy into her. She smiled and stroked one side gently with the tip of her finger. It was like something had renewed her hope in life.

Something happened in that very moment.

The flutter of a cape.

The swift unsheathing of a long sword.

And suddenly a burning pain that erupted from her chest and out the other side.

As a small bit of blood dripped down her cheek, she looked down to see a long sword coming from her chest. The small orb of crystal fell from her hand, and fell into the pool, and she began to fall back and saw him…

His cat like eyes flickered with triumph as he smirked, the smirk on his handsome face made it seem all the more evil.

"Now die." He stated calmly.

His platinum blonde hair danced around them as everything turned black for Claire…

…

Blood, dead bodies, the loud echoing sounds of gun shots went off all around Marie, and she cowered.

She was curled up in a tight ball (that was something she'd learned in fighting, make yourself a small a target as possible).

Another thing she'd learned when she was a child, however, was don't bring a knife to a gun fight.

Sadly for Marie, she didn't even have a knife. She was more concerned about where she was at the moment, and how she even got there.

She looked up, and gasped.

"Daddy!"

Indeed, there was her fathering, standing tall, and looking like Freed was her father Gerald Oswald. He held two machine guns in his hands and mowed down more and more of the enemy. He had a grin on his face, and for some reason Marie could tell was empowering him…like she could read his mind.

He was fighting to get back home, and to see his children again. The same feeling, of love, of pride, seemed to flow into her.

She smiled, and suddenly the bravery her father gave off was enough to make her rise, and immediately wished she hadn't.

Someone was sneaking up on Gerald, someone he hadn't seen. In his hands was a lone rifle, and he aimed and cocked it back…

"DADDY!" Marie screamed in horror.

A loud bang and Gerald stopped firing almost immediately. He looked down to see a small line of blood dripping down his chest where his heart was. He fell to his knees, and ultimately fell to the ground with a dead thud.

Marie cried out in horror and fell back to her knees. She watched the Killer rip his helmet off to let off a loud laugh of triumph. She gasped.

It was Jason…

…

Both girls screamed as they rose up, and panted heavily. They grasped at their hearts, and bent their heads.

Very uncharacteristically, they began to cry gently…

Marie on the other hand seemed to collect herself up first, Claire soon after.

Claire went to the mirror and checked her chest for any kind of markings. That felt so real…

Marie on the other hand, went to her Amazoness deck, which she unlocked from its hard plastic deck holder, and searched the card. She found Freed the Matchless General, and hugged it, whispering how much she was sorry.

Now, for both of the girls, something odd happened. When Claire went back to bed, she saw Leo leap up on a few things, her dresser, her shelf, and ultimately out the window.

"Leo! Leo, wait!" Claire shouted, not even bothering to get dressed out of her pajamas and ran out the door, calling out Leo's name into the cold night. A moment's silence and she ran back in. Searching her drawers, she pulled out her deck. Not knowing why, she slipped them into her pocket, and ran back out.

For Marie, something equally odd happened. When she pulled her deck away from her and was ready to put it back in the deck case, the top card, which was Freed, flew out the window in a sudden gust of frigid cold air.

"Hey!" She shouted more to herself than anything else, and leapt up to the window pane. She swung herself out, and landed on the concrete with a thud. Realizing she still had her deck in her hand, placed them in her pocket and ran after her card.

…

"So…we're going to duel some people."

"That's the plan…"

"And the boss wants us to use that card he gave us?"

"Pretty much…"

"And…how are we going to do that?"

"What is with all the stupid questions!? Just let me take care of summoning the big guy, and just sit there and be useless like you always are!"

"I'd like to see you try and summon that thing without my help!"

"Would you shut up!?"

Both of them looked up in time to see figures running towards the amusement park.

"Looks like we have company…"

…

Luckily for the two girls, they did not have to run all that far. Leo, stopped just on the outside of the Amusement park, and Claire was soon on top of him.

"Leo, what has gotten into you?" Claire scolded as she picked up the cat. "You know better than that to run away…"

It was then she saw a card drift down almost right at the tip of her foot. She looked down and picked it up.

"Freed the Matchless General?" She asked aloud.

The sound of running footsteps suddenly made her look up, and she tilted her head.

"Marie?"

"Claire?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Ah…run away card," Marie admitted, blushing as she took her card back and added it to her deck once more. "What's your story?"

"Run away cat," Claire mumbled, holding up Leo. All he did was Meow lazily and snuggle into Claire's arms.

Both girls looked up at Kaibaland Amusement park. It was dark and murky.

"This place is creepy when it doesn't have anyone around…" Claire said.

"Yeah it is….we should probably get back." Marie said, turning around quickly.

Claire grinned a bit. "Come on, where's the Marie I remember? The one who would rush into danger randomly just for the thrill?" She giggled. "Come on, let's explore a little."

Marie blinked a bit, but suddenly grinned. "Count me in."

With that, both took a step in, and Leo suddenly leapt from Claire's arms and flew down the street it came. It seemed to be going home.

Claire scowled and sighed. "That cat…' She grumbled as she walked deeper into the Amusement park.

It was indeed as quiet and scary as Marie had said, but both of them said nothing. The shadows seemed to shift, and it wasn't until they were in front of one of the rides, a Roller Coaster in the park that was called the Blue Eyes Jet Coaster.

"You ever get that feeling we were being watched…?" Claire asked.

"Like right now?" Marie asked, looking about.

"Well, it looks like they aren't as stupid as we figured they were!" Shouted a deep, raspy voice from above the two.

"Heh, looks like we're going to have some fun with these two!" Shouted a somewhat deeper, more menacing voice along with the other.

Two figures leapt from the top of the roller coaster and landed in front of Marie and Claire, both on their knees and slowly rose up, grinning maliciously.

One of them was quite short with bright, purple robes. He appeared to be bald, based on the perfect circular shape of his head. The thing that stood out the most was the half bright, grinning mask he wore over his face.

The other was a great deal taller than the other, this one with some hair. He too wore the same purple robes as his cohort, but the main different was the half dark red, frowning demon mask on the side of his face.

Both of them stared at the girls.

"They look really familiar…" Marie mumbled to Claire.

"We should!" The shorter of the two exclaimed. "We're only the two greatest double duel partners around, for I am the Mighty Lumis!"

"And I am Umbra!" Exclaimed the taller one of the two.

"Now I think I remember…these two tried to Duel Kaiba and Yugi back in Battle City…" Claire said, snapping her fingers.

"Yugi AND Kaiba?" Marie asked, blinking. "Geez, you two must have a death wish or something…"

Lumis obviously looked mad. "Don't you patronize me, you brat!" He shouted, "Maybe we couldn't beat Yugi and Kaiba, but I'm sure we can beat a couple of little girls like you!"

"Coming from the Leprechaun," Claire giggled a bit, "You two aren't so tough if you really wanna think about…"

It was Umbra's turn to frown, which seemed more frightening since half of his face was doing so all ready.

"Oh really?" he growled aloud, narrowing his eyes at them. "Then perhaps you'd like to see how easy we are to beat in a duel yourselves!"

There was a pause. Umbra seemed to realize what he said.

"Eh…I mean…"

"Idiot…" Lumis sighed.

Marie couldn't help but smirk. "What do you say, Claire?" She grinned, "Think we have enough time to kick some ass?"

"You know it!" Claire giggled.

Upon getting positioned, with Lumis across from Claire and Umbra across from Marie, and Lumis held up his finger to quiet them all down.

"Some rules, before we begin." He explained, wagging his finger as if to scold them. "Tag team rules go as follows, no sharing of strategies, and no using of cards that haven't been played yet. The teams shall have a sum total of 8,000 Life Points, and the graveyards shall be shared between the two duelists, meaning Premature Burial shall be conducted with both players monsters in the graveyard."

"Catch all that?" Umbra grinned.

"Crystal!" Claire exclaimed.

"Loud and Clear!" Marie shouted.

"THEN LET'S DUEL!" Lumis and Umbra both exclaimed.

"Duel!" Claire and Marie shouted, throwing their duel disks into place (They decided not to question how two duel disks just appeared on their arms, they were guessing Lumis and Umbra had something to do with it).

**(Marie and Claire: 8,000) - - - - - - - (Lumis and Umbra: 8,000)**

"I'll start things off…" Lumis said with a small grin on his face, "And that will consist of summoning the Shining Abyss in Attack Mode!"

He slapped a card onto his disk, and in front of him appeared the odd looking, case like fairy, with the half sun for a face. (1,600/1,800)

"I think that's reason enough to end my turn…"

"Then I'll make mine," Marie said, drawing her cards. She smiled a bit, and closed her eyes. Using this deck felt so…right.

"I summon Amazoness Paladin!" She shouted, slapping her own card on the disk.

In a spectrum of bright, swirling colors, a tall, muscular female appeared in front of her, with a hood over her head, and a very long looking blade in her hand. She narrowed her eyes dangerously. (1,700/300)

"And her effect activates even now, she gains 100 Attack for every Amazoness on the field, including herself!"

The Amazoness Paladin began to glow, and she rose to 1,800 Attack Points.

"However, since I'm not allowed to attack just yet, I'll end my turn."

"Then it's mine!" Umbra shouted, drawing his card and looking at it. He chuckled and slipped it in, announcing, "I summon the Grand Tiki Elder in Attack Mode!"

In front of him appeared a rather frightening monster, a snake like beast with a purple mask over its face, as it waved its hands around in circles as if in an attempt to seem more ominous. (1,500/800)

"However, unlike my partner, I'll be setting these two cards facedown, and end my turn."

Two facedown cards appeared in front of him, just behind the Grand Tiki Elder as he floated there.

Claire drew her card, and smirked deviously. "I summon Hysteric Fairy in Attack Mode!"

In front of her appeared the rather all business type lawyer fairy appeared in front of her. She looked at her clipboard absentmindedly. (1,800/1,000)

"Now then, I'm allowed to attack this turn all right! Hysteric Fairy, attack Lumis' Shining Abyss!"

"Wait, Claire!" Marie shouted, but it was too late.

The Hysteric Fairy sighed a little bit, and looked up from her clipboard. She adjusted her glasses, and a beam shot out. However, it hit its intended target, and Shining Abyss blew apart.

Lumis groaned a bit, and glared at Umbra. "I swear to you, Umbra, if your face downs could have helped me…"

"They can." Umbra growled, "Just calm down and wait…"

Claire grinned, and slid one facedown of her own down. "I set one more card facedown, and end my turn…you're getting paranoid Marie, just wait!"

"Heh…yeah…" Marie nodded, but still felt something was amiss…

Lumis took this as his cue to draw, and his eyebrow cocked up from under his hood. He smirked a little, and threw a card forward, "Now then, since your Amazoness is such a pretty little thing, let's muss that up with something! I equip her with Mask of the Accursed!"

Before Marie had a chance to ask, a hideous looking mask appeared in front of Lumis. Spikes were nailed into it's head, and it flew forward. Marie cried out in shock as it stuck itself to her Amazoness' face. The warrior let loose a muffled, agonizing moan, and stopped struggling, and succumbed to her fate.

"What have you done to her?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at the two.

Lumis' grin would not leave his face. "Simple, as long as that mask is on your monster, it isn't allowed to attack, and you lose 500 Life Points every Standby phase as long as it's there!"

_Heh…idiot. _Marie grinned as she looked at her hand. _I got plenty of things to offer her for! I'll lose 500 Life Points, but that'll be it!_

"And if you people really think you'll be offering those things as tributes, think again!" Umbra shouted, as his facedown lifted up, "Because I'm playing Mask of Restrict! As long as this card remains on the field, no one is allowed to tribute monsters!"

"Okay…so much for that plan…" Marie grumbled, slumping down.

Looking down at the remaining cards in his hand, he smirked. "I summon the Rogue Doll…"

Another card appeared in front of him, this one a somewhat short with a long purple cloak, and a dolls face looking out. (1,600/1,000)

"And end my turn…"

Marie growled loudly as she drew a card, and looked at it. The nails in the Mask of the Accursed drove themselves into the Amazoness' skull. Marie groaned as a purple aura surrounded her.

**(Marie and Claire: 7,500) - - - - - - - (Lumis and Umbra: 7,800)**

She looked at her new card, and sighed. "I summon Amazoness Fighter in Attack Mode and just end my turn…"

In front of her appeared a rather muscled, also very skimpy dressed amazoness, grunting as she threw a punch or two. (1,500/1,500)

Umbra took this chance to draw his card and looked at it. "So, we wanna play rough huh?" he asked her. "Let's play rough! I equip my Grand Tiki Elder with Mask of Brutality!"

A hideous mask launched forward and attached itself to the fiend like creatures face. It howled and roared, glowing with a bright, purple light.

"Now, by paying 1,000 of his Defense Points, he goes up by that much!" he exclaimed.

(2,500/0)

"Attack the Hysteric Fairy, my masked beauty!" Umbra laughed.

The Grand Tiki Elder charged up a glowing ball of energy in his hands and threw it forward. It struck the Hysteric Fairy and blew her apart.

**(Marie and Claire: 6,800) - - - - - - - (Lumis and Umbra: 7,500)**

"Don't forget…" Claire groaned, narrowing her eyes, you're going to have to pay 1,000 Life Points every turn if you want to keep that thing on the field…"

"Not so," Umbra said, sliding another card into the disk, "For I played the Masked Doll!"

The Spell appeared on the field, and a rather rickety looking doll appeared, strung up by several stings.

"With this card on the field, my partner and I no longer have to pay the costs of card effects from this point on!" he looked at his hand and smirked, "I thing that should just about do it," Umbra grinned, "You're move, girl."

Claire drew her card quickly and looked at it. She grinned. "I first activate my facedown card, Aegis of Gaia! With this, my partner and I both gain 3,000 Life Points!"

Both she and Marie began to glow with a bright light.

"What?!" Lumis shouted, "That's not fair! You gain 3,000 Life Points for just activating a card?!"

"Heh, there's a draw back but I'm not gonna tell you. For now, I'll be playing my favorite field Spell card, Sanctuary in the Sky!"

The entire arena lit up with a bright, yellow glow and the next thing the duelist knew, they were in the heavenly sanctuary amongst the clouds.

"Then, I'll summon one of my favorite inhabitants of this glorious place, The Agent of Force – Mars!"

A fairy appeared, but it looked more like a Warrior if anything. Bare-chested, scars of previous battles all about its body and slinging a large sword around. It narrowed it's eyes and spun it's weapon around. (0/0)

"Since he's in his domain, and my Life Points are a lot higher than yours, he gets increased by the difference between us!"

(2,300/2,300)

"Ooooh…" Lumis grinned, shaking his head, "So close…"

"Better luck next time, ladies," Umbra taunted.

"Oh, and what better time like the present?" Claire giggled, "I play the Spell Card, Judgment of the Sanctuary's Agents!"

Mars began to glow a bright, red color, and he pointed his sword at the Grand Tiki Elder, and he narrowed his eyes.

"When I have my Agent of Force on the field, I can pass judgment upon one of your monsters. I find him unworthy, and now your Monster dies and you lose 300 Life Points for each star it had!"

The Agent of the Force snarled and slammed his sword into the ground, causing a beam of light to shoot out and strike the Grand Tiki Elder. The monster screamed loudly, and it fell to its knees. It exploded into pixels.

Umbra screamed as he was surrounded by a burning red aura, and gripped the front of his robe, breathing through his teeth.

**(Marie and Claire: 9,800) - - - - - - - (Lumis and Umbra: 6,300)**

The Agent of Force pulled his sword back onto his hip, and he rose to 3,500.

"Ooooh, this is gonna sting for you two," Marie taunted with a grin.

"Agent of Force – Mars, attack Lumis directly and take out a good chunk of their life Points!" She shouted.

_This is bad! _Lumis thought in horror, _if that thing makes it, its attack is gonna double! We'll never take down a 7,000 Attack point monster!_

Luckily, they wouldn't have to, because Umbra brought up his facedown.

"I activate my facedown!" Umbra shouted as his facedown flipped up, "No Entry!! This stops your attack by putting every monster on the field into Defense mode!"

A massive cage appeared in front of Lumis, alarms blaring "NO ENTRY". Both Amazoness on Marie's side of the field, and the Agent of Force all kneeled down.

Claire scowled. "Fine, I guess I end my turn." She pouted.

Lumis sighed and drew his own card, looking at it. "Well, well, well! This should work QUITE nicely…I play Mask of Dispel on your Sanctuary in the Sky!"

It was odd to see a mask that looked like the famous Scream portrait appeared on the Sanctuary's door, but it latched on all the same and gave off a dark feel.

"Now, as long as your Field spells remains in play, you both will lose 500 Life Points every turn!"

"THAT'S not good," Claire whispered.

"And it's about to get a lot worse," Umbra said with a grin. "Now by the time it gets to your turn, your Agent will be 1,000 Points weaker! It'll be easy pickings until then."

"Fine," Claire sighed, "Just finish your turn, Light head."

"That's the Mask of Light!" Lumis shouted. He looked at it and slid it into his disk.

"I summon one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

A facedown monster appeared in front of him, and he hid the small smirk that had been growing on his face.

Marie drew her card and hissed as the Mask of the Accursed drained more of their life points. She barely noticed the fact that The Agent fell to 3,000 Attack Points.

She looked at her new cards, and her eyes widened. _Yes! I can save my monsters now!_

She slapped said card onto her disk, and called out, "I summon Amazon Archer in Attack Mode!"

In front of her appeared a toned monster, tan skinned and holding up a rather dangerous looking bow and arrow combo. (1,400/1,200)

Lumis chuckled. "I see what you're trying to do; you're going to offer your two monsters to keep from damaging you further, and deal us Damage in the process."

"But that won't work, because Mask of Restrict is still out. You're stuck with what you have for now!" Umbra finished with a smirk.

"You'd think that," Marie said, "but that's why I have a Spell like this, go, Will of the Amazons!"

She presented the spell card, which had an Amazoness Fighter roaring as she erupted from a Kunai with Chain.

"Now with this card, for each Amazoness on the field, NOT Counting Amazon Archer, I can destroy one Spell or Trap on the field!"

Lumis and Umbra gasped as the Mask of Dispel and the Mask of Restrict cards exploded in front of them.

"But…what…" Lumis gasped.

"Lumis, I blame you for that!" Umbra shouted over to them.

"Me?! Well you weren't exactly leaping for your facedown's either you bastard!" Lumis screeched at him.

"Um, boys?" Marie asked with a small grin. "You still have a problem."

"Hm?" Both of them looked up in time to see she indeed had a good two usable Amazoness' on the field.

"However, I'd rather not have my Amazoness suffer any longer than it needs to! Amazoness Archer, I sacrifice Amazoness Fighter and Amazoness Paladin to use your effect and deal them 1,200 Damage!"

Both of the Amazoness vanished from the field and turned into a single, golden arrow. The Archer cocked it back and launched it…

"I activate my facedown card!" Lumis shouted, as his facedown flipped up, "Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment! This protects me from effect damage for the remainder of this turn!"

In front of him appeared the small monster Pikeru, and she began to wave about her staff. A shimmering force field appeared around Umbra and Lumis. The golden arrow bounced off of it innocently.

Umbra grinned a bit. Lumis smirked after him. "Anything else?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Marie seethed, "Amazon Archer, attack Lumis' facedown card!"

The Archer cocked back another arrow and let if fly, about to hit the defense but it bounced off. It was revealed to be a Marshmallon. It rebounded off it's squishy skin and hit the ground.

Both Marie and Claire glowed with a red energy, and they both grasped at their chests. "Ow…" both hissed.

**(Marie and Claire: 8,300) - - - - - - - (Lumis and Umbra: 6,300)**

Lumis grinned. "Fools, now your Mars grows weaker!"

It was true, Mars, although still tall and imposing, fell to 2,000 Attack Points.

"Soon to be lower," Umbra chortled.

"Not likely!" Marie shouted. She set one more card facedown, and shouted, "I end my turn!"

Umbra swiftly drew his card and looked at it. He chuckled and showed it. "I activate Royal Refitting!"

He slid the card into his disk and it appeared on the field.

"Now by paying 1,000 Life Points, I can take one Mask card from my deck and add it onto my hand!"

"But since we have Masked Doll set up, we don't need to pay a thing!"

Umbra pulled his disk out and pulled out what appeared to be a trap card. He looked at it, shuffled his deck and slid it back it.

"I shall end my turn after setting one card facedown…and summoning the dreaded Masked Sorcerer in Attack mode!" Umbra exclaimed.

A facedown appeared behind him, and a new monster appeared. It was a man with a long, purple dress, wearing a silver mask over his face. (900/1,400)

"I end my turn." Umbra said, grinning at Claire. "Attack if you dare…"

"Like I'm really scared of your Mask of Weakness?" Claire asked.

She drew.

_It has to be what he searched for! I don't think there are any other Mask traps aside from Mask of Weakness and Mask of Restrict…I'll have to go for it._

"Mars, attack his Masked Sorcerer!" Claire exclaimed.

Mars rose up his blade and he rushed forward, his wings flapping to the odd looking Spellcaster.

"You fell right into my trap! Activate trap…

"Tragic Mask of Death!"

"Tragic mask of huh?" Claire gasped.

His facedown flipped up to reveal a blackened version of the frowning Mask of Tragedy. It flew forward and attached itself to the fairies face, and he desperately grabbed at it.

"Now then, your monster shall suffer the consequences of donning the mask! He's now destroyed…"

Mars exploded into pixels.

"Now you must discard cards from your deck equal to the Number of Stars it had, so you lose 4 cards!"

Claire grimaced and discarded four cards from the top of her deck.

"Sorry Marie…" Claire mumbled, "I shouldn't have fallen into that trap…"

"Heh, we're only human Claire, don't worry about it!" Marie exclaimed, "We'll get them next time…"

_These two don't argue! _Lumis hissed to himself, _Dammit! Why can't I get a competent duelist and not tall dark and useless over there!_

Umbra almost seemed able to hear what his shorter partner said, and he seethed a bit.

"Yeah…I guess." Claire mumbled with a smile of her own. "I end my turn, now go!"

Lumis swiftly drew his card and looked at it. He looked at the cards in his hand, and suddenly grinned.

"I now play the Ritual Spell, Curse of the Masked Beast!"

In front of him appeared a large ornate structure, like a mask. Beside either of those, were burning torches.

"Now I must offer Monsters in our hands or field that happen to have eight or more stars! I'm offering Masked Sorcerer and Rouge Doll…"

The two monsters appeared on the field, and hopped onto the burning blazes. The itrem between them began to grow slowly…

The result was rather impressive. With a roar a hulking beast that resembled a misshapen centaur leapt from the bonfire landing with a crash that shook the ground. It's body combined the worst aspects of a lizard, insect and demon with a crudely shaped mask covering its face and a large cudgel gripped in a scaly paw. (3,200/1,800)

"Ahh this one always brings back memories," Lumis said with a nostalgic sigh. "We almost took down Kaiba's precious Blue Eyes White Dragon with my Masked Beast…except a certain SOMEONE forgot to research Yugi's cards, otherwise we would have known the effect of his Archfiend of Gilfor." He growled looking at Umbra.

"Bite me Lumis! YOU were the one who was supposed to study Yugi's deck, I had prepared my deck to counter Kaiba and his Egyptian God Card, so don't blame ME for dropping the ball and watching those stupid soap operas when you should have been doing research. 'Sudden stomach cramps' my ass!" Umbra snapped.

"I TOLD YOU THAT UNDER CONFIDENTIALITY YOU BASTARD!!!" Lumis roared getting so worked up he was hopping up and down in anger. Everyone else (even  
Masked Beast) sweat dropped slightly as the two went back and forth like  
this.

"Uh, excuse me boys," Marie said interrupting the not-so-dynamic duo's argument. "But according to Pro League rules you've got about…" She checked her watch. "Sixty-two seconds to make a move or we win by default." She said tapping her foot.

"GAH! Alright, alright I'm moving I'm moving!" Lumis said slightly flustered before pointing at her Amazoness Archer. "Masked Beast, crush her archer!" He commanded.

The fiend roared and dashed across the field its misshapen legs acting like the double jointed legs of a bird as it charged and slammed its cudgel into Marie's Amazon making her scream and burst into pixels.

"No!" Marie cried out in pure horror, tilting her head back to avoid the shattered remains of her monster.

Lumis cackled loudly, his impish little grin still plastered on his round little face. "and there's more where that came from! As I end my turn, I turn the duel over to you…not like there's a lot you can do!" The small duelist cackled, as his great beast roared in agreement.

"Maybe there is!" Marie shouted, drawing her card quickly and looked at it. She narrowed her eyes, and slid a card facedown. Followed by a monster she slapped down, she cried out, grinning, "I summon Amazoness Swordswoman!"

In front of her appeared the ever popular card of her deck, the Amazoness Swordswoman, as her name suggested, carried an extremely large sword itself. She cried out and waved her hand, preparing for the battle at hand. (1,500/1,600)

"Ha! That skank!?" Umbra cackled, his frown matching his masks which was a little creepy actually. "She's far too weak to even CONSIDER taking on our greatest beast!"

"Yeah, I know." Marie suddenly grinned. "That's why I'm going to end my turn."

Umbra cocked an eyebrow wearily as he drew his card and looked at it. _She's plotting something…_He thought as he stared at the card, _I can just as easily fix that…_

"I play the Spell card, Masquerade!" he shouted. A spell appeared right beside the Masked Doll he set up a while ago, and it began to glow. "Since we're now in a Tag Team Duel, I'm now allowed to use my partners monster as my own!"

"You better know what you're doing, you fool!" Lumis shouted at his partner before the giant lumbering centaur walked over to Umbra's side.

"I know what I'm doing, shut up!" He shouted. He then pointed out into the field. "Masked Beast, attack her Amazoness Swordswoman!"

The giant beast roared and charged forward, his cudgel held high above his head and began to swing it down…

"Activate facedown, Amazoness Pride!" She shouted as her facedown flipped up. "Now with this card, my Amazoness is no longer destroyed in battle!"

"But you still take damage!" Umbra laughed as his monster slammed down on the Amazoness, who lifted her sword up and parried the blow. The tip snapped off, and flew right at Umbra, who shouted as it pierced his gut. "What…what was that?!" He shouted in horror.

"My Amazoness Swordswoman's special effect! Any Damage I would take from battle with a monster is directed to YOU instead. So all that damage you just tried to deal me is yours to deal with instead!" Marie said with a smirk.

**(Marie and Claire: 6,500) - - - - - - - (Lumis and Umbra: 4,600)**

"You idiot!" Lumis shouted. "Now only didn't we destroy her monster, but we're even father behind on Life Points! Can you do NOTHING right?!"

"Bite me you damn Leprechaun!" Umbra roared, turning to face him, "I know for a damn fact if I didn't do it, I know YOU would have done it!"

"That's beside the point!" Lumis shouted, stamping his foot. "Now because of you, we're probably that much closer to losing!"

"We still have the Masked Beast!" Umbra shouted in his defense, "As long as we can keep him we're safe!"

"Whatever! God!" Claire shouted, finally fed up, "Can I PLEASE take my move now?!"

"Yes! Fine! Whatever!" Lumis shouted, "But make it fast, I have every intention of tearing you apart!"

Claire drew her card and looked at it. She suddenly grinned and looked over at Marie. "Hey, if I get the right cards right now, mind if I use Amazoness Swordswoman?"

"I would be insulted if you didn't!" Marie answered with a nod of her head.

"Right! So I'm gonna give us a little something to use with Card of Sanctity!" She shouted, showing the spell card as the blue, gorgeous light lit up above them, and began to drop dozens of dozens of coins onto the group.

At once, all the duelists drew their full hands, and all four sets of eyes wet wide.

_Dad…_

_Yes! This is perfect!_

_The monster our Master gave us shall rise soon…and then…_

…_These two shall finally perish!_

"Right! Now I play the Spell card…Shinatos Ark!" Claire shouted, holding the spell card and her hand high above her head.

Suddenly, rather abruptly, a titanic ship appeared right behind her, merely floating in mid air.

"Now, in order to summon the leader of this boat, I have to sacrifice monsters equal to eight or higher. So I'm going to be offering my Shining Abyss and Maries Amazoness Swordswoman…"

Both monsters appeared and leapt into the giant ship, which opened a hatch on the end of the boat for both monsters to jump through. It began to glow with a bright light. Its entirely began to shake violently, until it erupted into splinters.

Amongst the wreckage was a large monster, a deity if anything. It was tall, taller than the Masked Beast and had deep, deep blue skin. It had a calm face with a large halo behind it's head, and six large, majestic yellow wings behind it. (3,300/3,000)

"No!" Umbra shouted.

"That's not fair! You can't summon something stronger than our monster!" Lumis shouted in horror, taking a step backwards as if the mere thing would tear him apart itself.

"I have, and I did!" Claire said with a rather dark grin, much darker than anything a fairy user like her should have done. "Shinato, attack the Masked Beast!"

Shinato raised his titanic hands above his head, and in seven flashes of light there appeared several orbs of light, each one carrying a kanji symbol. He threw his hands forward, and in the shape of a wheel they rolled towards the centaur-like monstrosity. The beast attempted to repel the attack with its cudgel but it snapped in half and blew into pieces as it made a connection with his chest.

"…You were saying?" Lumis asked spitefully, snarling angrily at his partner.

"Shut up…"

…

"Hm." The Dark one said, leaning his head over his lap in his currently fisted hands. "They seem to be holding their own…it all depends on how they act once they summon the creature I gave them."

"Why DID you give them that monster anyway, Master?" Tony asked his lord softly, looking into the same looking glass as he was.

"Because this creature I gave them is an unstable beast." Philip sighed a little bit. "It's a creature of wrathful power, a creature that has both opposite powers, conflicting powers…dangerous powers if used right."

"You don't mean…"

"That's right." A fanged grin poked out from the disturbed child's mouth. "I gave them a beast…

…The True definition of Chaos…"

…

"My turn!" Lumis shouted as he drew his card quickly and looked at it. He suddenly grinned under his mask and presented the spell card, announcing, "I play Dark Designator! Now with this card, I can announce the name of one monster in your deck, and if you happen to have it you must add it to your hand!"

"Ha, good luck with that!" Marie grinned. "You're just helping us!"

"Oh, whoever said I was gonna use it on YOU?"

He turned to his partner.

"Would you happen to have the Monster, Masked Beast Des Guardias?"

"Why, yes, yes I would!" Umbra said with a laugh as a card was spit out of his deck and added to his hand. "However could we have guessed that?"

"Damn…" Claire whispered. "I've heard about that thing too…it's not exactly pretty."

Lumis merely grinned as he slid a monster into Defense mode. "I shall set this monster in Defense mode, and end my turn."

Marie drew his card and looked at it. She scowled, it wasn't exactly an attacking type of monster…when she could summon her dad's card, then she could start doing damage!

"I just set a monster in Defense mode and end my turn!" Marie shouted, as a facedown monster appeared in front of her.

Umbra then drew his card, and he looked at it. He smirked, and slid the card into his duel disk. "I summon the monster, Melchid, the Four Faced Beast!"

A flash of light occurred in front of him, and a creature no bigger than Lumis appeared in front of him, with pale, creamy skin and a spike that it seemed to spin on. It switched periodically to its different faces, happy, angry, sad and sad. (1,500/1,200)

"Now then…I believe its time for a good old fashion awesome monster summoning." Umbra grinned. "I offer my Melchid and Lumis' facedown monster…and summon the Masked Beast Des Gardius!"

Both monster vanished into pure black shards that twisted and flew into the air, and a truly frightening monster slammed down between the two monsters. It seemed a good ten feet tall, with grimy, blood soaked scales. It held up more blood stained claws, and lifted it up to its face, or rather faces, as it had a blue mask over where its main face should have been, and two masks on either side. It let out a hideous shriek. (3,300/2,500)

"Whoa," Marie whispered, "You weren't kidding about that thing being ugly Claire…"

"Masked Beast, attack that brats defense monster!" Umbra exclaimed, pointing his hand forward.

Des Gardius shrieked its usual shriek as it raced forward, its claws raised high over its head. It plunged them into the facedown, and it exploded without it even flipping up. Marie was kinda glad for that.

"And not only that, we seem to be at a standstill." Umbra said with a chortle. "We both have monsters on the field, and each have the same attack!"

Claire drew her card, and looked at it calmly. She smirked. "A standstill, hm?" She asked with eerie calmness. "Well how about I level the playing field with Cestus of Dagla!"

In Shinatos hands appeared his handheld blades, and he held the up high for the fiend to see. The Masked Beast let out a loud hiss, and took a step back as Shinato rose to 3,800 Attack Points.

But…why were Lumis and Umbra smiling…?

Claire didn't seem to notice, as she pointed her hand forward. "Shinato, attack the Masked Beast! Show him what happens when you mess with the Higher Planes!"

Shinato raised both of his hands again and shot forward the glowing Kanji balls. They struck the giant monster, and he roared loudly as he was pushed backwards by their might. He let out a final roar and exploded.

**(Marie and Claire: 7,000) - - - - - - - (Lumis and Umbra: 4,000)**

"And that takes care of…huh?" Claire asked with a blink, noticing that the Des Gardius Masks had fallen to the ground.

The masks then slowly levitated into the air and began to spin around in a chaotic fashion, until they finally merged together in a hideous looking mask, like skins that were sewn together.

"Now since you destroyed my Masked Beast Des Gardius," Umbra began, "We're now allowed to take the Equip spell card, The Mask of Remnants, from the Deck, and equip it right onto your monster!"

The hideous looking mask shot forward and clamped down over Shinatos face. The majestic fairy attempted to pull the mask off of his face but it proved to be rather difficult to do so. Soon, he gave up and his body fell limp. It then went rigid, and then floated over to Umbra's side of the field.

"Ahh…Light monsters aren't my thing but when they're as strong as this…I'm going to take it when I can…" he grinned.

"Bastard…" Claire hissed. "I end my turn…"

"Then it's my turn," Lumis said as he drew a card and looked over at it. His eyes narrowed, and he smirked.

"I play Monster Reborn to bring forth our Masked Beast once again!" He shouted.

The Masked Beast appeared in front of him. (3,200/1,800)

_No…_Marie gasped in horror. _Their combined attack is 7,000…We lost…_

"Now then…I believe now we shall summon our greatest monster, no?" Lumis asked Umbra.

"I believe now is the time." Umbra grinned in return.

Lumis took the signal and shot his hand into the air. "I remove my Masked Beast, a creature of Darkness…"

The Masked Beast turned into a puddle of Black energy.

"And I remove my Shinato, the King of a Higher Plane, a creature of light…" Umbra exclaimed, holding his own hand into the air.

Shinato melted into a puddle of light energy.

"And combine then into the greatest creature chaos has ever known!" Lumis and Umbra both screamed in Unison.

Both the Energy orbs shot into the air and collided, molding over each other like an eternal struggle over light and darkness. Suddenly, a blinding light erupted from the orb, causing Claire and Marie to cover their eyes from the total brightness.

"Ergh…" Claire whispered, as she lowered her hand once it had died down. Her eyes widened. "Whoa…"

"Whoa…' Marie echoed, as she lowered her own hand.

The creature that had been created as a result of the orbs was man shaped, over six feet tall. It was wearing nothing more than a black cloak, one with the hood over its head and the long flapping cape behind it. Its structure was the oddest, it didn't appear to have a corporal body of any sort, and its body was just sort of…chaotic, nothing more than colors mixing and moving over themselves, like a ripping rainbow of colors that were never meant to be.

"Fear the wrath…" Lumis began, "of the Chaos Alchemist!"

(?/?)

…

"That's the monster they were supposed to use?" Tony asked, quirking an eyebrow at the new monster that had appeared.

"Indeed it is." Philip said to him as he smirked. "Didn't think the idiots would actually be able to use it right…surprise, surprise."

"But…what does it do?"

"Oh you'll see child…" he chuckled darkly, "you'll see…"

…

"Excellent!" Umbra grinned, "Now with this guy out, we're sure to win!"

"Indeed we are, now we…ergh." Lumis suddenly said. He gripped his chest, and winced his eyes a little bit, as if in pain.

"Lumis?" Umbra asked, blinking, "What's wr—"He didn't get much farther than that, and too gripped his chest. "What's…this…?" He gasped.

Both duelists said nothing, gritting their teeth and groaning in pain. Suddenly, both cried out in pain, and were then silent.

"Um…you two okay?" Marie asked.

"Shh! Maybe if they die we can win by default." Claire hissed to her.

"There will be no chance of that happening." Umbra said in an oddly….calm, monotone voice.

"For we are in the fittest condition we have been in." Lumis said in the same tone.

"We can think clearly for the first time in the longest time…" Umbra continued.

"For we are now…unleashed."

They looked up, and Claire and Marie took a step back. Lumis' eye that was showing was glowing bright white, and Umbra's was a dark black.

"We are indestructible…and you two shall die…tonight."

"Whoa…that's….rather….messed up." Claire mumbled, tilting an eyebrow up slowly. "But it's not gonna change anything! You two are still going down!"

"Not likely," Lumis continued, staring forward, no other emotions on his face, "Chaos Alchemist, ability starts. It's attack becomes that of the removed monsters Attack, combined, and then cut in half for their total Attack and Defense."

(3,250/3,250)

Lumis pointed a hand forward, and said, "Attack them directly."

The Chaos Alchemist brought his hand up, and suddenly shot a beam of whatever he was made up off at Claire and Marie. It struck between them, and they cried out as energy coursed through them.

**(Marie and Claire: 3,750) - - - - - - - (Lumis and Umbra: 4,000)**

"I believe that is enough damage for this turn," Lumis continued. "My turn shall end with one facedown card."

A facedown appeared in front of him.

"My draw then!" Marie exclaimed and drew her card. She grinned a bit, and threw it on her disk. "I summon Amazoness Tiger in Attack Mode!"

In front of her appeared the large tiger with the scar going over his right eye, with the broken shackles at its feet and a deep growl escaping its lips. (1,100/1,500) --- (1,500/1,500)

"I chain his summoning," Lumis droned on, "With the trap card, Both Sides of the Abyss."

His facedown flipped up, revealing the obviously horrified Marauding Captain clawing at his face, one half of his body white, the other dark.

"I may only play this in a duel with Tag Teams are in play," he went on, "And choose one of my opponents, you." He pointed at Marie. "Now, so long as my card remains face up on the field, all your monsters will become Dark types…while all yours," he pointed to Claire, "Shall become Light."

"But what good is that gonna do?" Marie asked as she set a card facedown, thus ending her turn.

"It matters because of our Alchemist's effect," Umbra said as he drew a card. "Which I will now activate."

The Chaos Alchemist lifted his hand, and suddenly began to create an orb. Inside of the orb appeared Black and White Colors, which seemed to be fighting over themselves for domination.

"One of those colors shall win over the others." Lumis continued, "And as a result, whichever color wins, monsters of that attribute shall die."

"Wait…what color is your Chaos Alchemist?" Claire and Marie asked, gritting their teeth.

"Both light and dark," Umbra said, "But we have ways of keeping it on the field…"

The colors continued to battle until one color completely over shadowed the other. It was Darkness, and the Amazoness Tiger slowly rose into the air, growling in confusion. Suddenly, it roared as it collapsed in on itself, destroying it completely.

"But…how does he stay on the field?" Claire asked for her shocked friend. "You said all monsters of that attribute have to be destroyed, and you said he was both!"

Umbra held up a card from his graveyard: Grand Tiki Elder.

"Should he be destroyed with his own effect," Lumis said, "We may remove a card from our graveyard, the same attribute as the one that would be destroyed, and he may remain on the field."

"Chaos Alchemist." Umbra exclaimed, the first sign of emotion since…whatever happened to the two happened, "Attack the two directly, show them how fearsome you can truly be."

The Chaos Alchemist lifted his hands into the air, and shot a beam of energy at the two.

"Go, Negate Attack!" Marie exclaimed, the trap card lifting up and calling off the beasts attack.

There was a pause.

"It matters not." Umbra droned on. "We'll simply take you lot down next turn."

Claire drew her card, and looked at the monster. She closed her eyes.

_Only chance right now…_

"I set one monster in Defense mode, and set one more card facedown."

The two cards appeared in front of her, and she winced her eyes, looking rather hopeless.

Lumis drew his card slowly and looked at it. "I summon to the field a second Shining Abyss."

In front of him appeared a copy of the first monster Lumis used, the strange, orb shaped, sun mask wearing fairy. (1,600/1,800)

"Shining Abyss, attack her defense." He commanded.

Shining Abyss brought a second beam of energy out, and shot it at the facedown card. However, the attack merely reflected off, revealing a pair of hearts floating around each other. One was green, the other was pink. (1,700/0)

"Heh," The smirk grew back on Claire's face, "That would be Gellenduo…"

Lumis narrowed his eye. "Why was he not destroyed?"

"Because Gellenduo's effect keeps him from being destroyed in battle, and unless you destroy him with a card effect or deal damage to use, he's gonna be sticking around!"

"We'll simply have to fix that," Umbra droned, "End your turn, Lumis, so we may deal with the annoying creature when the time comes."

"Indeed," Lumis said with a nod of his head, "I end my turn."

Marie drew her card and looked at it. She smirked.

"I play Monster Reborn, and bring back Amazoness Paladin!" She shouted, showing the spell.

The ankh appeared on the field, and with a flash the Amazoness Paladin appeared.

"But she's not gonna stick around much longer, because I'm offering her for my…my father," She said softly, closing her eyes, "Freed the Matchless General!"

The bronzed skin Amazoness vanished and in her place appeared the tough looking general, his armor battle scarred and his sword gleaming in the light. (2,300/1,600)

"Okay dad!" Marie shouted as Freed readied his sword, "Let's take out that Shining Abyss and make things a bit easier for us!"

Freed let loose a battle cry and leapt forward, slamming his sword into the evil fairy. The Fairy exploded into pixels, and Lumis and Umbra didn't react in the least.

"Jeez, you could at least flinch a little bit…" Marie mumbled as Freed leapt back over to her side of the field.

"No need for flinching." Umbra said slowly and robotically.

"Finish your move." Lumis completed.

Marie seriously thought it was freaking creepy…what had happened to the two?

Umbra took this as the end of her turn, and drew his card. He looked at it, and looked to his Alchemist.

"I invoke your effect," He stated calmly.

The Chaos Alchemist lifted his hands into the air, and the orb appeared once again. The colors began to merge over themselves, and finally it was Light that was left standing.

Gellenduo looked horrified as they were lifted into the air and screamed as they were crushed into nothingness.

"Now then," Umbra looked to Marie, "Crush the General."

Chaos Alchemist lifted his hand up and shot a multicolored beam of energy out of his hand, slamming into Freed's chest and blowing him to pieces.

"No…Dad…"

**(Marie and Claire: 2,800) - - - - - - - (Lumis and Umbra: 3,300)**

"I believe that is enough damage for this turn," Umbra said ominously. "I end my turn. Make your final move child."

Claire drew her card quickly and looked at it. Her eyes widened, and she slid the card in, stating, "I play Graceful Charity."

She ignored the angel, for it didn't come (She had no doubt it was an effect of the Chaos Alchemist) and looked at her hand. She smirked and discarded Guardian Angel Joan and Martyrs Blessing.

"Now, I'll play a card I've been holding for just such an occasion…pot of Greed." She said to them.

She drew her two cards and chuckled a bit.

"Well what do you know…I don't think I could have asked for better," Claire giggled, "I play Monster Reborn and Premature Burial, allowing me to bring back two monsters that are very close to our hearts!"

The two spells appeared on the field, and in front of them appeared Freed and Joan, both of the glaring at the odd looking creature. (2,300/1,600) (2,800/2,000)

"And just how shall they beat us?" Lumis asked. "They are still too weak to defeat our Chaos Alchemist. Face it. You lose."

"Oh, I think not, because I'm playing a new trap card, Different Persona!" Claire shouted, throwing a hand forward as her trap card lifted up, "I now can select one monster on the field and discard any monster from my Fusion Deck. Now, for the rest of this turn, that monsters name becomes the Selected Monsters!"

She held up the card "St. Joan" and discarded it. Freed began to glow brightly, and Marie grinned.

"Go for it! Teach these goons a lesson!" She cheered.

"Now, I play Polymerization to summon my best monster!" Claire shouted, holding the spell card forward.

Freed and Joan both got sucked into the portal that appeared between them, and what appeared was rather…majestic.

It looked like a warrior from the heavens. It had the very same size as Guardian Angel Joan, but was now wearing shining, golden armor. She had a pair of brilliant, pearly white wings, holding dual swords in each hand. (3,800/3,200)

For the first time, Lumis and Umbra took a step back in shock.

"Guardian Angel Knight!" Claire exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, that's what I'M talking about!" Marie said with a triumphant fist pump.

"Guardian Angel knight, destroy their Chaos Alchemist with Righteous Blade Strike!"

The Guardian Angel flew forward, her wings rippling with the wind that blew past them. She lifted both swords and plunged them into the Alchemists chest. There was silence, and suddenly a mind shattering scream from the Alchemist made everyone cringe. It then vanished, and its cloak fluttered to the ground.

Lumis and Umbra both shook and their eyes went back to normal.

"Huh?" Lumis asked, blinking his eye quickly. "Where…where are we?"

"What do you mean where are we you idiot?!" Umbra exclaimed. "We're dueling two teenage girls because our boss made us!"

"Oh yeah….well what is THAT then?!" Lumis shouted, pointing to the giant Guardian Angel knight.

"…THAT I don't know." Umbra said, taking a step back.

"Now then, I activate my Guardian Angel's effect," Claire said, ignoring their confusion, "And draw one card…after discarding another." She drew her card, and discarded Heavy Storm.

"And it's just what I needed, because I play De-Fusion, separating my Guardian Angel into its two components!"

The monster began to glow and separated into a pair of glowing white orbs and landed down in front of them, forming Guardian Angel Joan and Freed the Matchless General.

Claire smirked at her friend, "Shall we?"

"You know it!" Marie grinned.

"Guardian Angel Joan!"

"Freed!"

"ATTACK!" Both girls screamed at the same time.

Lumis and Umbra screamed in agony as they were bombarded with light and sword swings, both screaming as they fell to the ground, and both were silent.

**(Marie and Claire: 2,000) - - - - - - - (Lumis and Umbra: 0)**

When they looked up, Lumis and Umbra were gone, and no sign of them ever arriving was present.

Marie and Claire looked up at each other. "Whoa…" Claire grinned.

"I'll say…" Marie mumbled in agreement, "THAT…was rather intense…"

"But fun none the less," Claire nodded a little bit. "But…I'm just wondering…what happened to them after they summoned that Alchemist…thing?"

"I'm not sure…let's try and not think about it," Marie shook her head, "But—Hey…look at this…" Marie mumbled softly, looking over at where the two were. On the ground were two Duel Monsters cards, both facedown on the ground.

"What are these?" Claire asked as she kneeled down and picked it up. She stared at her, and her eyes went dim. A haunting chuckle echoed in her mind…

Marie walked over to the second card. "What's this…?" She asked and looked at it. She read the effect, and blinked. "Whoa…not…bad." She said with a small grin.

There was silence between the two friends as they looked over the new cards, and Marie suddenly spoke.

"Come on…all I know is I'm beat…come on, I'll walk you home."

Claire shook her head, and looked up at her friend. "Ah…Yeah…" She nodded.

The two friends gave each other a small smile, and walked down the street.

…

Philip was merely staring at the looking glass, and Tony knew it would be in his best interest to get away from him as much as possible.

"Boss?" Tony asked after a moment of silence.

Amazingly, Philip merely shrugged. "I expected nothing less." He said. "However…it seems the two were good for something after all…and here they come."

In the room flew two ghostly apparitions, Lumis and Umbra's Souls, and they flew towards the card that had been held on the alter. They both flew towards it…

And a massive explosion took place. Philip jumped to his feet, holding a hand in front of him that blocked any possible debris that would fly towards him. He narrowed his eyes, watching the light shove over the card.

"What…what is this…" Philip whispered to himself. "The souls seem to be…wait…yes…yes! This may just be it!" He grinned, "I have all I need!"

"Boss, look at the card!" Tony explained, pointing a hand forward.

Philip looked at the card, and watched in wonder as the orange border of an effect monster card deepened and became a light blue, that of a Ritual Card. His eyes widened, and a second card appeared beside the monster. Having no alter to stand on, it fluttered to the ground.

"What…is…this…?" Philip asked gently. He walked over to the cards.

Philip reached down to take the card and as his fingers touched the surface of the slowly changing card. He saw in his minds eye a place only one as vile as he could call beautiful. It was a city, grander then any conceived by man yet veiled in foul slime and crumbling into decay, rising from the ocean a haunting chanting echoing in his ears. He unconsciously shifted into his true form, his eyes slinking closed as the strange chant echoed in his mind. For the longest time he simply crouched their fingers caressing the card like it was a lover his eyes shut in dark bliss.

"Um…Master?" Tony asked, not exactly sure how this was going.

Philip opened his eyes slowly, but they were still cloudy. He spoke two words that sent shivers down Tony's spine.

"It stirs…"

There was a silence, and Philip chuckled darkly.

"It seems…I indeed have more work to do."

…

**Masked Doll  
Type**: Spell/Continuous  
**Image**: A rickety looking wooden doll, hung up by strings, with a glowing, yellow eye on its forehead.  
**Effect**: As long as this card remains on the field, you do not have to pay Life Point costs for card effects.

**Masquerade  
Type**: Spell/Continuous  
**Image**: A purple creature tied up by ropes.  
**Effect**: Activate this card only during a Tag Team Duel. Gain control of one of your opponent's monsters until the End Phase of this turn.

_Note: "Masked Doll" and "Masquerade" were first used by Lumis and Umbra in the Anime. All Creative Credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**Judgment of the Sanctuary's Agents  
Type**: Spell  
**Image**: The Four Agents rising above the Sanctuary in the Sky and shooting beams of energy down at an advancing horde of fiends.  
**Effect**: Activate this card only when you have a face up "Agent" monster on the field. Destroy one monster on your opponent's side of the field. Deal damage to your opponent equal to the number of stars the destroyed monster had X 300.

_Note: "Judgment of the Sanctuary's Agents" was created by DuelistBlake1852 in his story "Yugioh! Heart of the Duelist" and used with Permission before…incidents happened. All creative credit goes to him._

**Tragic Mask of Death  
Type**: Trap  
**Image**: The Mask of Tragedy only made of Black metal  
**Effect**: This card can only be activated when your opponent attacks a DARK-Attribute "Mask" monster on your side of the field. Negate the attack, destroy the monster, and discard cards from the top of the opponent's deck equal to the number of stars the destroyed monster had.

**Will of the Amazons  
Type**: Spell  
**Image**: Amazoness Swordswoman breaking apart a Kunai with Chain around her body like dental floss.  
**Effect**: Destroy Spell or Trap cards on the field equal to the number of "Amazoness" monsters on your side of the field.

**Chaos Alchemist  
Type**: Spellcaster/Dark/Fusion/Effect  
**Stars**: 8  
**Attack/Defense**: ?/?  
**Effect**: One LIGHT-Attribute Monster + One DARK-Attribute Monster

To Fusion summon this card, you must remove one of each of the above listed cards from play. (You do not use Polymerization). This cards ATK and DEF is determined by combining the removed monsters from play ATK, then diving it by half. This card is also treated as a LIGHT monster. Once per turn, during your first Main Phase, flip a coin and activate one of the following effects: -Heads: Destroy all face up LIGHT monsters. Tails: Destroy all face up DARK monsters. When this card would be destroyed as a result of this effect, you may remove one monster in your graveyard from play with the same attribute as the selected attribute to keep this card from being destroyed.

_Note: Chaos Alchemist, Tragic Mask of Death and Will of the Amazons were created by Metal Overlord 2.0. All creative Credit goes to him._

**Guardian Angel Knight  
Type**: Fairy/Light/Fusion/Effect  
**Stars**: 9  
**Attack/Defense**: 3,800/3,200  
**Effect**: "Guardian Angel Joan" + "St. Joan"

This card can only be fusion summoned by the two above monsters. When this card destroys an opponents monster as a result of battle, activate one of the following effects:

-Increase your Life Points equal to half the destroyed monsters ATK.

-Deal Damage to your opponents life points equal to half the destroyed monsters ATK.

-Draw one card, and then discard one card.

**Amazoness Pride  
Type**: Trap  
**Image**: Amazoness Swordswoman glowing with a white light and fending off Dark Ruler Ha Des  
**Effect**: On the turn this card is activated, monsters with the word "Amazoness" or are named "Amazon Archer" are not destroyed as a result of battle (Damage Calculation is still applied).

_Note: "Guardian Angel Knight" And "Amazoness Pride" were first used in "The Seal of Orichalcos: The Next Generation"_

**Royal Refitting  
Type**: Spell  
**Image**: A disguised Dark Balter the Terrible handing a Mask of Accursed to a happy looking Pikeru.  
**Effect**: Pay 1,000 Life Points to add one "Mask" card from your deck to your hand.

**Both sides of the Abyss  
Type**: Trap/Continuous  
**Image**: Marauding Captain clawing at his face in horror, one half of his body bright white, the other pure dark.  
**Effect**: Activate only in a Tag Team Duel. Select one of your opponents. As long as this card remains on the field, the selected opponents monsters become DARK-Attribute. The opponent who was not selected has their monsters become LIGHT-Attribute.

**Different Persona  
Type**: Trap  
**Image**: Six Samurai Nisashi glowing with a red aura, the silhouette of XYZ Dragon Cannon right behind him  
**Effect**: Select one face up monster on your side of the field. Send one monster in your Fusion deck to the graveyard. For the remainder of this turn, the Selected monsters name becomes the Discarded monsters.

…

Sorry about the Delay everyone, school and all that.

Next time, we come to how much of a night Michael's having right now, having his own duel with a blast from the past. I'm sure you can all figure out who it is, so I'm gonna keep the title to myself. See ya all soon!


	13. The Greatest Show on Earth!

Michael: *Currently sharpening a blade* Tell me…Mr. Disclaimer guy….How long have you been in this business?  
Disclaimer Guy: Long as Fanfictions have been around…I keep people like you from being sued by the rightful owners…  
Michael: Really? Well…you've been doing a good job. But that's just it: We know this stuff isn't ours. If it were…heh, this stuff would be in the anime right now, hm? Now tell me….*Holds up the blade for him to see* Have you ever seen…Saw Five?  
Disclaimer Guy: Oh…Oh god no, no! Please god no…  
Michael: You either? Damn, looked good personally. Don't own it, never will, now chapter time!

…

The Greatest Show on earth!

…

Philip sat in his chair, staring at the two cards that had appeared after the loss of Lumis and Umbra. The darkness was so thick only the crimson rays of light from his eyes penetrated the gloom.

Each ray of light illuminated the fruits of his labors thus far, the blue bordered card and now, thanks to the 'donations' made by Lumis and Umbra, a second card, one that remained blank.

Then, with the subtlety of a bull in a china shop Tony came blundering in, out of breath and wheezing loud enough to wake the dead, actually maybe that was just wishful thinking on Phillip's part...

"Master?" Tony asked, "Master, are you awake? Master?"

Philips hand shot out of the darkness and gripped Tony by the throat, causing him to gag loudly and cut off his breathing. "And the reason I should not wring your neck beyond recognition would be…" He calmly said not even breaking eye contact with the cards even as Tony's face started to purple.

"It's…it's just…" He gasped. "There's…there's been some…odd…happenings around the world and…" he coughed rather violently. "Does this have…anything to do with what you've been planning?" He managed to squeak as his eyes rolled back.

Philip's crimson eyes disappeared and reappeared as he blinked before he dropped him to the ground. "Explain what you mean by that, mortal…" He asked softly while Tony lay on his back looking liked a fish out of water

"Well sir…" Tony wheezed after a moments silence as he rose from his crumpled form to face his master with some remaining dignity. Naturally, this failed quite a bit. "Its…I've been hearing stories on the news and on the TV and what not."

"Like I said, Mortal." Philip said, narrowing his eyes darkly. "Explain, I have no time for guessing games."

"Sir…there's been reports trickling in all night, first here in Japan…then in places all over the world…apparently there's been a lot of seismic activity and the weird thing is, its all seeming to be coming from somewhere in the ocean…plus a hell of a storm's been building over the area where the tremors are originating…nobody can *cough* get close enough to investigate."

"In the ocean, you say?" Philip pondered. "Well, well…the good news just keeps on coming." He mused. _Your beginning to stir down there in the deep, aren't you? Your dreams are growing restless, with every soul the beacon that calls you from your slumber grows stronger…  
_

"There's…other news sir." Tony got his masters attention by turning to the TV they kept in the corner and turning up the volume by a few notches.

"…Where Local, fellow reporter Trisha is currently on the scene of the attack. Let's turn to her now, shall we? Trisha, how bad is the situation there?"

"I gotta say, Daisuke, the damage at the Juniper Hill Mental Hospital to both the staff and structure is beyond description," the young woman said, standing in the front of Juniper Hills institution, but for some unknown reason it seemed…off, odd if one would, as if an aura hung over it…"Yes, as it turns out, from information we received from one of the night workers recovering in the Domino City Hospital the inmates, only a half hour before midnight, began to…well, as he described it they simply began to 'lose control of themselves'.""

"Lost control? Please explain Trisha."

"According to the remaining staff not being treated for injury the inmates began to experience what can only be described as an intense period of mass hallucination and dementia. Several inmates began to attempt to kill each other, while others turned on staff indiscriminately, some of the assailants with little to no history of violent behavior."

Philip smirked at that comment.

"The warden was attempted to be questioned as to why security was unable to respond more quickly to the riot, yet that in turn has only turned up more questions then answers as the warden was found in a near catatonic state."

"There is one further mystery to add to an already baffling series of violence tonight. Several inmates were reported as speaking in what almost sounded like tongues, we have this segment of footage recorded by a surveillance camera obtained from inside. Please be advised the following material may be considered too intense for younger viewers."

The camera shot of Trisha then changed to a grainy black and white camera shot of an inmate's cell. Faintly the sound of cries of pain and shrill, almost inhuman, screams being heard. Yet what seemed center stage of the footage was a man in his thirties, trembling as if in the midst of a seizure, smearing a message onto the cell of his wall, what he was using as a material was unclear, though to those watching it seemed to be (or at least was hopefully nothing more then ink or paint. The message, while simple seemed to carry an air of sinister, and unearthly menace.

It crawls among the stars  
To dream within the sea  
It seeks to revel as we scream  
To sing in endless glee

Finally at the completion of his ghastly warning the inmate turned and looked up at the camera, giving everyone a good look at his wildly bulging eyes and twitching face. Then with a shriek that sounded more like that of some wild beast then a man he flung himself off the bed at the camera the image turning to static.

When Trisha reappeared it was clear that even she had been shaken by the footage. Yet she seemed to push aside the brief look of fright in her eyes and resumed talking. "We will be back to continue out investigation of tonight's events once more members of the staff have recovered from the attack. Back to you Daisuke."

"Thanks Trisha, when we come back, we'll see how the Kaiba Corp. Grand Prix is turning out to be one heck of a show! Right after these messages." The TV was shut off after that, and Tony turned back to his master.

"Master?" He asked simply.

"Heh, heh, heh…let's just say Tony…everything is slowly coming together…" He rose up, looked at the two cards on the pedestal and walked over to the single dream mirror remaining. The other three had gone lifelessly and dropped down to the ground around him, their once amazing surfaces cracked and chipped. The final mirror held Michael, who at this point began to thrash in his bed, a thin coating of sweat on his face.

"It seems our little hero is all ready feeling the adverse effects of such," Philip said with a small grin.

"But why master, why him and not the other three? Why is HE acting so odd compared to the others?" Tony questioned.

"Because those with darkness in their hearts seemed to have the best results when the dark one comes to rise." Philip said with a smirk.

…

Michael was running at the distance he had ran, and the amount of times he had slipped in his run through the heavily slimed sidewalks, as he raced on further.

Something was chasing after him, something…Horrible.

The loud bellow of the creature he was attempting to escape was heard throughout the entire ruined city, and he gasped. He pumped his legs harder, but each time, the slime seemed to keep him from getting much farther.

"Come on," Michael gasped, "Dammit, why of all times do I fall now? Especially with…whatever THAT is chasing me!"

A loud bellow, this one louder than the first, made him stop questioning his luck and dashed off again, panting heavily.

He didn't get much farther, as a slimy, thick tentacle shot out and grabbed him by the ankle. He cried out in horror as he was pulled by the tentacle to whatever the hell it was, the slime on the ground coating him and making him retch at the mere feel of it.

He tried to claw his way away from the horrible menace but the slime wouldn't see to it, trying to find something to hold onto. He wouldn't last long.

He barely registered in his mind he was now being lifted up into the air, and finally when he stopped, he opened his eyes…

And saw the most horrifying, insanity inducing creature he'd ever lays eyes on. The creature in question bellowed at him.

And all Michael could do was scream.

…

Michael woke up screaming and covered in a thick layer of sweat. He panted heavily, looking around in a panic. He was in his room, not surrounded by slime coated ruins currently being pursued by tentacles of death. He panted a little bit and fell back into his bed.

"Ooooh man…" He whispered, reaching over and grabbing his glasses. "That was bad…I mean, that was bad to a whole new LEVEL bad…" He pushed them up his nose and looked at the clock, groaning at the red numbers 2:32 flashes mockingly in his face. "I hate nightmares…"

He rubbed his arms a little bit shuddering. "It all felt so real though…god, that's even worse. I suddenly feel like I need a shower."

He sat up in his bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he groaned a bit, trying to keep the queasy feeling in his stomach down.

That was when his Cell Phone Vibrated.

"Who the HELL is calling me at Two Thirty in the morning?" He grumbled as he walked over and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Your dream was far more than a dream, young man," Crooned the ominous voice on the other line.

"Huh…?" Michael asked, confused and looked at the phone to see who was calling. There was no name, "Who, who is this?"

"If you want more answers…come to Kaibaland. Bring your duel disk. Bring your deck. All answers shall be revealed." The click and the beep on the other end signaled he had hung up.

Michael stared at his phone for a moment, before sighing a bit.

"Well, I didn't get anywhere in life not going to dangerous ominous invitations to my supposed doom…"

He paused, and then walked over to his dresser.

"Now where'd I put my good hoodie…?"

…

"Hello?" Michael called out as he walked through the supposed barren entrances of Kaibaland Theme Park. He didn't think it would be THIS creepy. He shuddered as he walked through, softly calling out to anyone that might have been there.

He didn't have much luck. He began to suspect something was up as he passed numerous rights and found nothing except a few scratches here and there from a battle that might have happened earlier. He didn't pay it much mind.

All he could think of was that horrible dream, god he couldn't even remember what that…THING, had looked like and he was more scared then when his father had summoned the Great Leviathan. If an infinite attack point god of darkness wasn't at the top of the evil food chain, then what the hell WAS? Michael looked up at the starry sky, and seemed to shiver as somehow the distant patterns of those far off worlds seemed to carry a new kind of subtle menace.

As he continued to walk on through the rather abandoned (For the most part), the unbarring urge of something…someone perhaps, was watching him from the shadows. He shuddered rather violently at one point, almost getting the feeling that a dark shadow had just dashed behind him. He tried to ignore it the best he could.

Finally, it seemed his small journey took him to what appeared to be the Kaibaman Stage. He remembered this. When he was smaller, he would come with his mother to this very stage to watch Kaibaman (Really Kaiba, dressed up as a super hero) defeating the dreaded Five God Dragon, and he was always head over heels over the whole act, finding it the coolest thing he'd ever seen.

He stood in front of the stage, finding it strangely symbolic for some reason or another. He stared, almost in a trance…

And finally a large explosion of confetti made him jump and land on his back, looking rather vivid.

"Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the show of the night!" Shouted an echoing voice from the direction of the stage. "Introducing the one and only master of magic, the Sultan of Sorcerers, the one…the only…"

A large Platform began to slowly lift from the center of the stage, a person in the center, but he was shrouded far too much by the spotlights that were now beaming up at him, and finally he was revealed. He appeared to be middle aged, but not that Michael could tell, his face was covered in a rather hideous looking striped mask, a red tuxedo and a striped tie. He was topped with a red top hat.

"The Marvelous, Magical, Mystical, Arkana!"

Michael could merely stare at the odd spectacle he had just seen, his head tilted to the side as if in confusion. "Who now?"

The man laughed loudly. "Surely you have heard of my acts, my dear boy? My marvelous acts of prestidigitation?"

"Yeah…no." Michael shook his head.

Arkana scowled, and crossed his arms and huffed. "Some children don't know true talent when it's in front of them…far too blinded by that infernal television! Bah…" He then smirked and turned to the young boy. "And you my young opponent…I believe you and I have a rather interesting proposition ahead of us…" He lifted his hand to show him his duel disk.

Michael narrowed his eyes. "I take it you were the one on the phone then?" He asked him.

"Give the boy a prize!" Arkana laughed joyfully as he leapt down and landed mere feet in front of Michael. "We're going to duel, like it or not."

"Yeah, and what are you going to do if I don't?" Michael challenged. "What if I don't feel like dueling some psychotic clown wanna-be?"

Arkana smiled and held up his hand. Slowly, a beam of energy began to charge, and finally he shot it. Michael yelped and fell to the ground as the beam flew over his head, cleaning cut through the wall behind the two, his eyes wide.

"My master gave me that very power to ensure you would duel me." Arkana smirked proudly. "Now then, I believe you like having a head, yes?"

_Why does every psycho I duel always threaten to kill me…?_ Michael thought disgustedly in his head as he rose up. "Since I really have no choice in the matter…guess I gotta say yes."

"Absolutely Marvelous!" Arkana laughed. "Then let the Greatest Show on earth Begin!"

He leapt back up on the giant platform he just jumped from, and it lowered back into the earth. As he did this, Michael took to activating his duel disk and sliding his deck into his disk. He faced Arkana.

"Let's Duel!" Michael shouted.

"Let the curtains raise, and let the show begin!" Arkana laughed.

"You're a freak, you know that?"

**(Michael: 8,000) - - - - - - - - (Arkana: 8,000)**

"As the master, I shall make the first move!" Arkana laughed as he drew his card and looked at it. "Now for one of my favorite combos, by playing Malice Doll of Demise in Attack Mode!"

With a clatter of falling wood, a strange looking creature appeared. Obviously made of wood, it hefted up a massive axe, and had short blonde parted hair. It had a very crazed look in its eyes. (1,600/1,700)

"And I follow up by playing the companion spell card, Ectoplasmer!"

In front of him appeared the spell card.

"Now, young one, with one more facedown, I shall end my turn and as any good Magician, watch as I make my monster…Disappear!"

With a wave of his hand and a snap of his fingers, both the Ectoplasmer began to glow. The Malice Doll began to cackle loudly, as if he expected this, and let loose a shudder as what made up his body began to fall to the ground in a crumpled heap. However, from the remains floated a strange energy of sorts that formed into a perfect copy of the Malice Doll.

"All creatures have a substance known as ectoplasm in them, although some say that mediums, while in a deep trance will excrete them…quite disturbing, actually. Others say its slime like substance seen in association with haunting, and with my Ectoplasmer, I can use that into a rather damaging energy!"

The Doll like creature cackled and lifted up its axe. It threw it forward, where it spun and slammed into Michaels chest. He let out a loud gasp and gripped the slime, pulling it out.

"That's it buddy…just keep giving me reasons to kick your ass…" Michael said with a loud growl and a cough.

Arkana could only smirk. "Go on child; let's see if you can truly hurt me!"

Michael snatched the top of his card and looked at it. He moved his eyes from card to card, and scowled. "The best I can do is summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 4!"

With a caw, the first evolutionary form of his best monster appeared with a loud roar, and it flapped its wings once. (1,600/1,000)

"Horus, attack the psycho with Black Burn!"

Horus let loose a screech and shot out a black fireball out of his beak, striking Arkana. He shrieked and took a step back, vainly attempting to bat the flames out of his top hat.

"Bah, smoke and mirrors and nothing more!" Arkana huffed as he placed his hat atop his head once more. "At least my magic and tricks have more pizzazz to them!"

"Whatever!" Michael exclaimed. "I set two cards face down, and end my turn, so I guess I have to offer one of my monsters, hm?"

"You would, but I shall give you more choices! I activate my facedown card, Ojama Trio!"

With three bright flashes of light, the green, black and yellow Ojama tokens appeared in front of Michael, snickering all the while. (0/1,000 X 3)

Michael stared at the tokens for a moment in confusion. "But…wait…that means…"

"You don't have to give up Horus just yet." Arkana said with a smirk. "You should be thanking me boy! You're going to lose…but I'm at the very least being a gentleman."

Michael narrowed his eyes. "What are you really planning?" He asked the demented mad man.

Arkana merely smirked.

"Fine!" Michael shouted in frustration. "I'll give up one of my Ojama Tokens!"

The Green Ojama gasped and dropped over onto the floor in an exaggerated gasp and a groan. His spirit floated out and flew at Arkana, but did nothing really; he just stood there and took it.

"I'll be taking my turn then," Arkana chuckled as he drew his card and looked at it. "And Alakazam, my monster comes back!"

It was true, as the pieces of the Malice Doll of Demise appeared once again in front of him, forming into the dreaded, possessed puppet. (1,600/1,700)

"But since I'd rather not lose him again, I'll be playing my spell card, Magic Planter." He told him, "See, by making my Spell card vanish into thin air, I can draw two cards from my deck!"

A large entanglement of vines slid from the ground and onto the Ectoplasmer card, which exploded and Arkana drew two cards. He smirked at one of them.

"Ah, this is truly perfect! I sacrifice my Malice Doll of Demise to summon to the field The Dark Red Enchanter himself!"

The puppet vanishes and in its place appeared a tall cloaked being. Its cloaks were dark red, as per its name, and he held in his hand a large, red scepter. (1,700/2,200)

Arkana laughed and twirled. "And just for summoning him, he gains two Spell Counters to add to his collection!"

The Spellcasters scepter began to glow bright red light, and wo orbs appeared on the side of it.

"And not only that, for every counter my magician holds, 300 Attack Points are granted to him!"

(2,300/2,200)

_Crap…now that thing can take out Horus! _Michael thought in dismay.

"Dark Red Enchanter!" Arkana began. "Attack one of his Ojama Tokens!"

_Huh?_

The Dark Red Enchanter flew forward, levitating in the air and raced forward, staff held high. He thrusted it downward and clocked the Yellow Ojama in the head, making him cry out in pain and exploded.

Michael grunted as a small puff of smoke appeared on his chest, the effect of the Ojama coming down on him. He scowled. "Why didn't you attack Horus…?" He asked him.

Arkana cackled as his Dark Red Enchanter flew back to his side of the field, tipping his hat to hide his eyes. "All in due time my dear boy..." He smirked and slid a card into his disk. "One final facedown card shall end my turn."

Michael scowled and drew a card. He smirked at it.

"I play the card Level Up! from my hand, allowing me to evolve Horus into his next form, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6!"

As the spell appeared on the field, Horus had all ready begun to screech as a thick, black bonfire erupted around his body, his body morphing and transforming. It soon became the Level 6 Form. (2,300/1,600)

However, as the Spell vanished, another glowing orb appeared around the Enchanters Scepter.

"Oops, did I forget to mention?" Arkana said with a small grin. "Whenever one of us plays a spell card, my Dark Red Enchanter receives another Spell counter, meaning an additional 300 Attack Points." He gave a wide grin as his Dark Red Enchanter grew higher to 2,600.

Michael faltered. "Okay…nothing I can't handle. I play my trap card, Evolutionary Mark!" The facedown lifted up, and he discarded one of the remaining three cards in his hand. "With this card, I can discard a card from my hand, and then…a monster with LV in its name can be switched out for the next form! So I discard this…and summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8!"

Once more, Horus let out a loud roar as it morphed into the gigantic dragon like creature, snarling down at Arkana. (3,000/1,800)

Arkana paled and took a step back. _I have everything I need to take him down…I just need to wait…_He grinned a bit at this.

"You're just lucky that I can't attack with the monster I used to summon this." Michael said softly. "I set one card facedown, and turn it back over to you!" Michael shouted, his hand down to one now.

**(Michael: 6,900) - - - - - - - (Arkana: 6,400)**

Arkana drew his card swiftly and looked at it. He tucked it into his hand and turned the Dark Red Enchanters card on the disk, "I shall switch my Dark Red Enchanter to defense mode and enact its effect!"

The Dark Red Enchanter kneeled down and placed its scepter in its lap. Two of the three orbs vanished and Michael's remaining card in his hand vanished!

"Huh?" Michael asked, unfolding his hand to reveal the card was indeed gone.

Arkana laughed and pulled his hat off, revealing his slicked back black hair. "Nothing up my sleeves, as you can see! See, by removing two of my Spell Counters from my Dark Red Enchanter, one of your cards is sent to the graveyard! And I saw only one card in your hand at the time!"

Arkana smirked. "Now then, watch as I make a monster appear on the field in defense mode, and end my turn!"

One more defense monster appeared on Arkana's field, beside the Enchanter.

Michael drew his card and frowned. "Horus, attack the Dark Red Enchanter with black blaze blast!"

Horus roared and shot a black fireball from its beak and struck the Enchanter. He burned and was gone in a moments notice.

"That ends my turn. Now come on, do something. Astound me." Michael grinned.

"Oh, I'll do more than astound you boy!" Arkana laughed as he drew his card and held a hand forward. "I'll knock the socks right off your feet! Activate Gestalt Trap!"

"Gestalt What?" Michael asked, confused, but his answer came rather abruptly.

A thick, black collar, studded with spikes flew forward and snagged Horus by the neck. The great creature let loose a loud caw of pain, thrashing its head about in an attempt to dislodge the odd apparatus. It finally roared and fell to the ground, crowing weakly.

"Horus!" Michael screamed in horror. "You bastard! What have you done?"

"I've done the ultimate magic trick!" Arkana let out a triumphant laugh. "I've turned a mighty god into something far less than a peasant!" he grinned and pulled his hat off, bowing as if a crowd was cheering for him wildly. "See, Gestalt Trap is a very dangerous trap if used right. By equipping it onto a monster on your side of the field, not only is the monsters effect negated, but its attack and defense are reduced to zero!"

Horus let out a small cry of shock as another shock went through its body, and its stats fell to nothing.

Michael's eyes opened in horror. His monster would be destroyed for sure now…"

"Awww…you think I'm going to hurt your big bad birdie?" Arkana asked, "Well don't worry! He'll be suffering…" His tone turned dark at the next statement,

"But I won't give him the satisfaction of death…I equip your monster with Immortal Homeostasis!"

Horus began to glow with a dark red aura.

"Now your monster can no longer be destroyed as a result of battle, but as a result, if its attack is lower than its original score, then you shall lose 300 Life Points every Standby Phase!

"But for now, how about we do some damage? I summon the Skilled Dark Magician in Attack Mode!"

A black cloaked figure appeared in front of him. He wore a skull cap over his head, and carried a rather intimidating looking staff with three odd glass bulbs. (1,900/1,700)

"Skilled Dark Magician, attack Horus!" Arkana commanded.

The Skilled Dark Magician spun his staff around his hands and fingers and fired a pure black beam at the dragon. It struck him, and Horus let out a roar as the dark energy coursed through its now exceedingly weak body.

Michael too let out a shock for two reasons. One, the damage the Magician had hit him in addition, and second, his key card, his soul card, was being attacked in such a way. And what was worse, Horus seemed to truly be suffering…

Michael growled after the damage subsided…and his eyes flashed bright red for a split second.

Arkana saw this, and smirked.

…

"Torture one close to someone, and soon shall snap," Philip said softly. He smirked. "He's got darkness in his heart…and with enough pushing…it shall be mine."

…

"And now to end my masterpiece of a turn, I set one additional card facedown, and end my turn!"

A facedown card appeared behind the Skilled Dark Magician.

Michael snatched the top of his card of his deck and he cringed in pain as the Immortal Homeostasis came into effect. He looked at his newly drawn card. One of his new cards! "That's what I'm talking about! First I switch Horus to Defense mode, and summon a new card to the field, the Immortal Blocker LV4 in Attack Mode!"

As Horus kneeled down, curling its wings up, a strange creature appeared. It was made completely made of rocks into a humanoid form, with a small shield on its right arm. (0/1,600)

It then kneeled down, holding its shield in front of it.

"When it's summoned to the field, my monster is automatically switched to defense mode. Also, when it's on the field, I can direct one attack from another monster onto him!" Michael grinned. "Now try and hit Horus now!"

Arkana smirked a bit. "Oh, that's quite easy to accomplish, child."

He drew a card.

"And now I flip my facedown monster in Attack Mode! Presenting…The Old Vindictive Magician!"

The Magician from before appeared before him, holding his staff aloft. (450/600)

He fired a beam, and the Immortal Blocker LV4 exploded into pixels.

"And now I bring out the very staff of this very show! I bid adieu to my Skilled Dark Magician and Old Vindictive Magician…to summon to the field…the one…the only…Dark Magician!"

The two monsters vanished from their spots, and what sounded like a drum roll was heard, as a tall human appeared RIGHT in front of Arkana. However, it was far more different than what Michael remembered from Yugi's Dark Magician. His armor was bright red, his hair a white pale, and his skin a dark green almost. The magician let out a cackle. (2,500/2,100)

Michael gasped. This creature…it felt so…Evil…

To seal his thought on this, the Dark Magician gave the boy a rather dark grin, pointing his ominous looking staff at Michael, grinning down at him with quite a bit of horrifying malice. A dark chuckle came from the Dark Magician.

"Of course, MY Magician is far more handsome than that brat Yugi's Dark Magician, no contest." Arkana said with a cackle. "But since I can't get to your damned Dragon just yet, I have to end my turn!"

Michael snatched the top card off of his deck and looked at it, crying out as he and Horus suffered the same shock. Michael's eyes flashed another red, this time a bit longer, but he blinked and the shade was gone.

**(Michael: 4,400) - - - - - - - (Arkana: 6,400)**

Michael looked at his newly draw card and smirked. "Okay Arkana, I play Pot of Greed, and I'm sure even the master of Magicians such as you knows what THIS Spell card does."

He took the top two cards from the top of his deck and looked at them, and he beamed.

"That's more like it!" he exclaimed with a grin. "I set one card facedown, and end my turn as a result!"

Arkana drew his card and looked at it. He pouted. "Shoot, nothing good. Just…this! I take us to the magical, mystical, Magical City Endymion!"

In a blazing flash of light, Michael was blinded and they were transported somewhere he wasn't sure where.

He gasped in awe as he looked around in shock and awe, as he had been transported to a marvelous looking city, large buildings all over the place and the whole place just seemed….magical and powerful. They were in the courtyard of a rather large building off to the side.

"Well…it's a lot better looking than a dreary Amusement park…" Michael mumbled.

"Isn't it just?" Arkana asked with a laugh. "Now let's get the show on the road! I summon Mystical Beast Cerberus in Attack Mode!"

In front of him appeared the strange, two headed beast with a loud howl and a snarl. (1,400/1,400)

"And I'll pass." He smirked. "Make your move, child."

Michael snatched the top card of his deck and yelped as he and Horus were once more shocked as the effect of Immortal Homeostasis activated. His eyes flashed red a lot longer, and this time Michael heard something…

_This monster deserves to pay…_Snarled a dark voice in the deepest confines of his mind, _And if you should let me take over…we can do just that…_

"Whoever the hell you are, you can just piss off right now." Michael growled as he drew a card and looked at it. He smirked a little bit.

"I'll just set these two cards facedown…and end my turn." He chuckled a little bit. And once more, Michael was down to zero cards in his hand.

Arkana drew his card and chuckled a little bit. "You truly think you're the only one to come up with something sneaky, child? Well how about THIS? I play the Spell card, Dark Magic Attack!"

Three things happened as the spell appeared. One was a massive ball of light appeared just behind Arkana, joining the first one that had appeared when the field spell appeared to begin with, and Cerberus began to glow, and barked. It rose to 1,900 Attack Points.

Finally, the evil Dark Magicians staff began to glow near the tip, and he pointed it forward.

"This is a far better version of Heavy Storm if I ever used one!" Arkana grinned. "See, with Dark Magician on the field, this card wipes out every Spell and trap on your side of the field!"

The Dark Magician cackled as a massive green beam blasted forward, and both of Michael's facedown cards exploded.

"Now that there isn't much you can do to stop me, I'll be striking your puny little dragon…" He held up another card in his hand. "And I believe this little accessory; the Dark Spear shall do quite nicely!"

The Dark Magician held up his hand and the staff vanished, replacing itself with a rather large, frightening looking lance. Another sphere appeared just behind the madman, and Cerberus went up another 500 Attack Points.

"Not only does this make my Magician look far more intimidating, it also gives him the ability to deal you damage through your defense!" Arkana grinned. "So my Dark Magician, attack Horus the Black Flame Dragon!

"Dark Magic Attack!"

The Dark Magician smirked and laughed as he flew forward and stabbed Horus with his lance. Horus screamed in pain, and Michael did the same. Dark Magician leapt back as Horus crowed weakly in pain, falling to the ground, splayed out pathetically.

Michael could feel whatever was in him growing slowly…and he growled a bit. His eyes flared bright red.

"I end my turn," Arkana cackled. "Now suffer!"

Michael drew his card and screamed as Horus cawed once more in pain, and finally something happened.

**(Michael: 1,300) - - - - - - - (Arkana: 6,400)**

_Fine…_Michael groaned softly into the voice of his mind. _I'll let you out…just save Horus…_

_Heh…no promises boy…_

Michael closes his eyes and was silent for a moment. There was a shaky little breath that came from him, and he straightened up. "Mmm…." He cracked his neck, shifting it to the side violently and turned it back to face Arkana. "Far better…" he grinned and opened his eyes, revealing they had turned a rather dangerous red.

Arkana smirked.

…

"There it is…" Philip grinned, leaning forward din his seat. "I believe this shall work out for the best…"

"Master?" Tony asked.

Philip said nothing after that.

…

"Now then," Michaels aid, his voice a bit darker than previously remembered, "Where were we?" he looked at his sole card in his hand. "I'll play the spell card LV Jar, now by removing a LV monster in my graveyard from play; I'm allowed to draw three cards."

He removed from play his Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4, and drew three cards. Cerberus roared and rose higher to 2,900 Attack Points, and a fourth counter appeared on the city wall behind Arkana.

"Heh, slightly better," Michael chuckled a bit as he looked at his hand, and snapped his fingers. "Now then, let the true master indulge those watching, the true magician!"

Arkana's eyes widened behind his mask. That…punk! Was he…trying to upstage him?

"I summon to the field, Silent Magician LV4!"

In front of him appeared the usually timid Spellcaster, but rather…she seemed brave, as if being in this town had increased her usually small bravado. (1,000/1,000)

"Now for the REAL queen of the magicians!" Michael smirked, holding a card up, "And I'll do THAT by playing Level Up!, allowing me to sacrifice my Magician for her next form!"

The Silent Magician began to glow brightly and in a flash, the older magician appeared, holding her staff up threateningly. The Mystical Beast grew to 3,400 Attack, and once more, another counter appeared on the city.

"Okay Silent Magician, rip apart that damn dog!" Michael exclaimed, "White Silencing Blast!"

The Silent Magician lifted her hand up and began to make it glow, which shot out a beam of pure light. It struck the dog, and it howled as it exploded into pixels.

Much to Michaels confusion, four more counters appeared on the wall behind Arkana.

"Oh, did I forget to mention?" Arkana sneered, "When you destroy a card with Spell Counters on it, my magical city receives everyone! You MAY think you're getting rid of them, but I'm merely recycling them." He grinned.

"Whatever," Michael grinned, "Though here's a thought. I have the strongest magician around, and what's even better that I can save my monster with just a spell card! Tell me," Michael chuckled, setting his final card facedown, "Can you beat me before then?"

"Can I beat you, can I beat you?" Arkana repeated his face red. "I'll destroy you! I'm the only star of this show, not that hussy! I'll destroy you!"

Michael narrowed his deep red eyes. His Magician didn't look too pleased either.

"All I need is one more good attack, and your monster is destroyed!" Arkana growled, drawing his card, "And I'm doing that right now! Dark Magician, attack Horus and wipe this brat off the face of the planet!"

The Dark Magician armed his weapon…

"Activate facedown card!" Michael roared, "Defense Draw! This allows me to negate the damage I would have taken, and not only that, draw a card!"

The attack skimmed off of Horus, and he drew a card.

Arkana clenched a fist tightly. _I will not be upstaged by this…this…charlatan! I am the one and only master of this show, and I will not let him steal the spotlight I so rightfully deserve!_

"Ugh!" Arkana screamed in disgust. "I set one card facedown and end my turn!"

"Draw!" Michael shouted as he drew his card quickly and looked at them out of the corner of his eye. He hissed in pain as he fell an addition three hundred life points, as a result of the Immortal Homeostasis.

_Almost there Horus, just need to make him mad enough…_Michael's benign side sighed to his dragon and looked to his card.

"Okay, I'll set this one monster in defense mode, and have Silent Magician LV8 Attack your mockery of a magician!"

"Oh no you don't, you brat!" Arkana exclaimed angrily. "I activate my facedown card, Disappearing Trick! With this card, since you're about to attack a Spellcaster on my side of the field with a Spellcaster of your own, I'm allowed to negate the attack! However, the only downside is your monster gains 500 Attack Points until the end of your next battle phase."

The Silent Magician scowled as the Dark Magician disappeared behind a cloak, but glowed and rose to 4,000 Attack.

"But I don't intend to let her keep that bonus." He grinned.

Michael scowled a bit. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Dark Spear." He said as the spell appeared on the field, and the Spear vanished from the currently missing Magicians hand.

"I end my turn then, and really, a disappearing act?" Michael asked as The Dark Magician reappeared again and looked a bit insulted. "Please, a Magician as good as that deserves at the very LEAST to be in the hands of someone that knows what they're doing!"

Arkana visibly twitched.

"That is IT!" he screamed as he drew his card angrily. "I will no longer be the brunt of your jokes, you little incessant BRAT! I will show you just what you're dealing with!"

_It's that dark side! _He thought as he looked at his new card. _I can take him out right now! And Horus is the key…_

"I summon to the field Blast Magician!" He shouted.

A red armored and cloaked magician appeared, with a long, curved helmet over his head, shrouding his face and his armor riddled in Spell Counter holders. His weapon was a large and long curved scythe. (1,400/1,700)

"And now to reveal one of the true powers of my Endymion field spell!" Arkana shouted. "Should the urge need be to remove a Spell Counter from a monster as a cost, such as my Blast Magician's effect, which needs him to remove spell counters as a result, I can remove them from the City itself instead!"

One of the many balls of light vanished from behind Arkana, and the Blast Magicians scythe lit ablaze with flames.

"And as a result," he began, "I can remove one and for each one I choose to remove, I can destroy a monster with 700 Attack Points or less. So I shall remove one mere Spell Counter, and in exchange, destroy your Zero Attack Point Horus!"

Blaze Magician swung his scythe and a blaze of fire shot forward, covering Horus. The Dragon roared, and exploded into pixels.

Michael was silent for a moment, and finally, he grinned.

_Well,_ his good side thought, _thanks for saving Horus, I guess I'll be taking over again!_

_What?! _Shouted the other half,_ No! I will not be denied!_

Michael didn't seem to care, as he pushed the darkness away, and when his eyes opened, they were their normal brown color.

_That's better…_He sighed.

_The master's going to kill me for that! _Arkana suddenly thought in horror. _Oh no! What have I done?!_

"Um…Um…Dark Magician!" Arkana shouted in fear. "Attack his facedown monster with Dark Magic Attack!"

The Dark Magician motioned and shot a beam of burning darkness down. A Morphing Jar appeared on the card, cackled, and exploded.

Arkana discarded what was left of his hand, and Michael and he merely drew five new cards.

Arkana laughed.

"Now I can summon my strongest monster!" he shouted with a laugh. "And I can summon him to the field by removing six counters from my city!"

Six of the counters vanished from behind him, and began to transform into a single being above him…

"Meet the master of this city!" Arkana laughed as the light formed more into a human like shape, "Divine Magician Deity Endymion!"

The monster to appear was very impressive, wardrobe was. He looked like the dark magician, but his robes were far more elaborate, with purple and blue steel on the front. On his face was an elaborate masquerade mask too, and his staff was large and crescent shaped, with a red gem in the center of it. (2,700/1,700)

"Eep." Michael squeaked.

"And his effect does not stop there!" Arkana laughed as his graveyard glowed, and a card slipped out. "As a result of summoning him like this, I'm allowed to take any Spell Card I want and add it to my hand!"

He showed him Immortal Homeostasis.

"And the fun doesn't stop there!" He laughed.

He slid the card BACK into his graveyard.

"By discarding a Spell card from my hand, one card on your side of the field is destroyed! So that magician bitch can take a rest from the spotlight!"

Endymion's staff glowed, and shot a beam. The Silent Magician exploded.

"I believe I'll end my turn now." Arkana grinned. "Make your final move boy, I grow restless to end your misery…"

Michael drew his card quickly and looked at it. His eyes opened.

"Heh, sorry buddy, but I think I just won this!" He grinned.

"Oh?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. "I fail to see any form of monster on the field."

"That's all about to change." Michael said with a grin. "Because I'm playing Level Modulation! With this card, you can draw two cards but I get a monster from my graveyard!

Arkana drew two cards, and Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8 appeared in front of him, and he looked MAD. (3,000/1,800)

"Ha! Your bird doesn't scare me this time!" Arkana said with a smirk. "I happen to know his effect is negated until the end of this turn, and it can't attack!" he grinned. "And I can activate Endymion's effect when my turn comes! Because I have quite a few spells." He grinned, holding up his hand of six cards.

Michael chuckled. "Heh, funny you should mention that. See, not a lot of people know this but Horus has another form, kinda like his partner, the Armed Dragon. Not a lot of people know because it's so elusive!

"Well, it cost me an arm and a leg, but Dammit if I didn't get it! Now, face the wrath of my strongest monster!

"I call to the field…Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV10!"

Horus screamed as Black, glorious flames washed about its form, and slowly, it began to mutate and change…

And finally the flames dissipated, and the creature was simply majestic. It looked like Horus but it was more eagle like than Dragon like, like its LV 8 form had been previously. Its armor had turned from Silver to a pure gold, and it had a large, winged fringe around its heads. Its wings seemed a bit wider and stream lined, and its claws gleamed in the sun. It let loose a roar that sounded like an eagle screech and a dragon roar… (3,500/2,300)

Arkana and his magicians took a step back in fright and fear, their eyes wide in shock.

"Heh, speechless I take it?" Michael grinned. "Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised…and guess what? He's got a bone to pick with you…"

Horus let out a deep snarl at Arkana…

"Horus! Take out his Endymion! Dark Wild Fire Inferno!"

Horus opened his mouth and released a torrent of black flames that turned into a large black serpent. It washed over Endymion, who roared in pain and exploded into pixels.

**(Michael: 1,000) - - - - - - - (Arkana: 5,500)**

"You…little…BRAT…" Arkana hissed angrily as he stood up slowly. "You will PAY for making a mockery of me…"

"Oh, I'm about to do a lot worse than that!" Michael shouted with a grin. "Now I invoke Horus' effect! I can destroy one of your spells and deal you 500 Points of Damage!"

Horus shot a ball of fire into the center of the Magical City of Endymion, but nothing happened.

"Heh, apparently you didn't know what my City can do. If you can try to destroy it, I can remove a Spell Counter to keep it from being destroyed." Arkana cackled.

"Yeah, like it's really gonna stay." He smirked. "I end my turn."

Arkana drew his card and looked at it. He looked at the other cards in his hand, and smirked. _Yes! _He shouted. _I can destroy him this turn! Wait…_

"Does your monster have the same effect as Horus?"

"Nope," Michael admitted, "He lost that effect."

"Marvelous!" Arkana grinned, "Then I shall offer my Dark Magician for the Dark Eradicator Warlock!"

The Dark Magician underwent a transformation of his own. His armor had become elaborate robes, and his aura became a bit darker. His staff became larger and a bit more pointed, too. (2,500/2,100)

"And now there's nothing you can do to stop me from beating you! I play the ever powerful spell card, Magical Blast!" Arkana shouted, sliding the card into the disk. "Not only does this deal you 200 Points of Damage for every spell caster, but with my Warlock on the field, that's an additional 1,000 Damage! I win!"

"Yeah, no." Michael said, shaking his head slowly as Horus pointed to the spell card.

Much to Arkana's surprise, it burst into black flames!

Further into his surprise, HE burst into black flames!

He stood up after a moment, his body smoking and tingling. "What…was…that?" he asked.

"Horus' effect," Michael chuckled. "see, he doesn't have the SAME effect, he has a better one. When either of us activates a spell card, I can negate it, remove it from play, and deal you 1,000 Points of Damage all in the same turn! Impressive, no?"

Arkana paled, and looked down at his cards. He shakily slid a card, and the Blast Magician turned onto its knees, its scythe in its lap.

"M-Make your move…" Arkana shook visibly.

**(Michael: 1,000) - - - - - - - (Arkana: 4,500)**

Michael drew his card and pointed a hand forward. "Horus, attack The Dark Eradicator Warlock! Get that thing out of my site! Dark Wildfire Inferno!"

Horus let loose another blast of black flames that turned into the large serpent once again. It washed over the Warlock, and he shattered into pieces.

**(Michael: 1,000) - - - - - - - (Arkana: 3,500)**

"Now, to finish this." Michael said, narrowing his eyes. "I have plenty of Spell cards in my hand, and I'm thinking I can end this now by giving up a few of them. So I play Rush Recklessly and Negate it!"

Rush Recklessly appeared on the field and quickly burst into flames. Arkana screamed as the same flames covered him.

**(Michael: 1,000) - - - - - - - (Arkana: 2,500)**

"Now, Premature Burial!" he shouted, showing the spell card.

The equip card appeared, and like the others burst into flames. Arkana screamed as he lost an addition 1,000 Life Points.

**(Michael: 1,000) - - - - - - - (Arkana: 1,500)**

"Magical Mallet!" Michael shouted, showing the spell card too.

The Spell appeared on the field, and once more was awash with flames. Arkana howled in agony.

**(Michael: 1,000) - - - - - - - (Arkana: 500)**

"And finally…Graveyard in the Fourth Dimension!"

The Spell appeared, and was burned into a crisp. Arkana screamed as the final flames erupted around him, and he fell to his knees.

**(Michael: 1,000) - - - - - - - (Arkana: 0)**

"And that is that!" Michael shouted as the holograms vanished. "I won, you lost, now GET lost!"

"No," Arkana rasped out, "I will not be denied…if I'm going down…"

A ball of energy appeared in his hand.

"I'm taking you wish me!" And fired the beam

Michael couldn't anticipate it in time, until suddenly a figure appeared in front of him and grabbed him by the waist. Michael cried out in surprise as he was lifted into the air and watched the beam strike the ground where he just was.

The last thing he heard was Arkana howl in despair, and finally the thud of his body hitting the ground.

Michael gasped as he was put back on the ground, and he spun around to see who his savior was. Whoever did save him was gone.

Michael sat there for a moment, panting a little bit. "Okay…okay…calm down…deep breathe…" he took a deep breath. "This night never happened…and I'm going back to bed." He mumbled, walking off slowly, with a small limp.

What an odd night…

…

"You haven't a thing to be worried about," said the cloaked figured to the other receiver, "He's safe and out of harms way, he won."

"Good, good," Sighed the voice, relieved, "Be sure to keep an eye on him. If Yugi can't beat him…then we're gonna have to rely on him."

The cloaked figured nodded and leapt off into the darkness…again.

…

Philip stared calmly at the two cards as Arkana's soul flew into the room, floating about. He didn't think he had this much peace in a while since this tournament started. Tony and Matt had dispatched quite a while ago, searching out for their own opponents.

They would know when to strike.

And so the soul that once belonged to the psychotic magician floated about, until it flew into the blank white card beside the blue ritual monster. It shuddered he lights in the room flickered, and it grew the bright green edges of a Spell card.

"Well, Arkana," Philip mumbled with a small smirk, "It seems even after losing your soul; you had one final trick up your sleeve…

…

**Magic Planter  
Type**: Spell  
**Image**: A Stone basin with a smoking leaf in the center of it.  
**Effect**: Send one face up continuous spell card you control to the graveyard to draw 2 cards.

_Note: "Magic Planter" will be used by Akiza in a future episode of "Yugioh 5D's" All creative credit goes to the writers of that episodes._

**Immortal Homeostasis  
Type**: Spell/Equip  
**Image**: A Maha Vailo with two glowing red orbs on her hands, and daggers under the orbs.  
**Effect**: The equipped monster cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. During your standby phase, if the equipped monsters ATK is different from its original ATK, inflict 300 Points of Damage to the monsters controller.

**Gestalt Trap  
Type**: Trap/Continuous  
**Image**: A frightening looking shackle attached to a large mechanism  
**Effect**: After activation, this card becomes an equip card on one of your opponents monsters. The equipped monsters ATK and DEF are reduced to 0 and its effects are negated.

_Note: "Immortal Homeostasis" and "Gestalt Trap" were first used by Professor Frank in the Yugioh 5D's episode "Return to the Spirit World Part 1" All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**Dark Spear  
Type**: Spell/Equip  
**Image**: Dark Magician holding aloft a large, dangerous looking spear  
**Effect**: This card can only be equipped to "Dark Magician". During Battle between the equipped monster and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of the equipped monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponents Life Points.

_Note: "Dark Spear" was first used by Yami in the Anime Episode "The Final Duel" All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**Evolutionary Mark  
Type**: Trap  
**Image**: An Ultimate Insect V 1, 3, 5, and 7 in that order each glowing with a stone arrow pointing from 1 to 3 and so on.  
**Effect**: Activate only when you have a face up "LV" monster on your side of the field. Discard cards from your hand. For each one, send that monster to the graveyard and Special Summon from your hand or deck a monster of the same name that is exactly that many Levels away from the number of cards you discarded. The summoned monster cannot attack this turn.

**Immortal Blocker LV4  
Type**: Rock/Earth/Effect  
**Stars**: 4  
**Attack/Defense**: 0/1,600  
**Effect**: When this card is normal summoned, this card is switched to Defense Position. Once per turn, you may direct the attack of one of your opponent's monsters from another monster to this monster. If this card is not destroyed after being attacked, during the end phase of this turn, send this card to the graveyard to Special Summon "Immortal Blocker LV6"

**Disappearing Act  
Type**: Trap  
**Image**: A Magician disappearing into a cloud of smoke as another furious magician chases him  
**Effect**: Activate only when a SPELLCASTER-Type monster is selected as the Attack Target by a SPELLCASTER-type monster your opponent controls. Negate the attack, and increase the ATK of the Attacking Spellcaster monster by 500.

**Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV10  
Type**: Dragon/Fire/Effect  
**Stars**: 10  
**Attack/Defense**: 3,500/2,300  
**Effect**: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by offering one "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8" On your side of the field. While this card remains face up on the field, you may negate the activation and effect of a Spell Card, remove it from play, and deal 1,000 Points of Damage to your opponent. Once per turn, you may destroy one face up spell card and deal 500 Points of damage to the Opponent.

_Note: Please note that Magical City Endymion and Devine Magician Deity Endymion are NOT custom cards, but rather will appear in the future structure pack, Lord of Magicians, coming out in march. Keep an eye out for it!_

…

And so the night of horror is over for our heroes…or is it? As Claire and Marie walk back home, they're encountered by Tony! His deck has taken a drastic change from the fiend Deck Claire faced. Is she up to the challenge against Tony's new beast of darkness? Find out next time in "The Dark Dragon Rises, Tony's Revenge" coming soon! Hopefully soon anyway…


	14. The Dark Dragon Rises, Tony's Revenge

Michael: *Whistling Casually* Kay…no more Disclaimer guy…he ran away, don't worry, I didn't kill him…yet…*mumble* anyway! Guess I'll just get this over with! I do not own Yugioh in any way, shape or form! Enjoy the Chapter!

…

**The Dark Dragon Rises, Tony's Revenge**

…

The Night was still young in Domino as everyone was asleep in their beds, currently dreaming of the excitement that the next day would bring. Not to mention its when the second round of the Kaiba Corp. Grand Prix would start the next day. It would be an exciting day.

"This sucks," Marie grumbled angrily as she and her friend Claire trudged through the empty streets of Domino. "Feels like we've been walking around for frigging hours, and every time I look at my clock it's only been five minutes!"

"And it's getting cold," Claire whispered, rubbing her own arms to keep the heat pumping through her body. She yawned loudly, "and I'm getting really tired…"

"Come on," Marie said, nudging her a little bit, "I think we can make it until we get to our house before we pass out from exhaustion…not that bad out here after all." She said with a small grin.

The two walked on in silence for a little bit longer, neither saying nothing just yet.

"Hey, Marie?" Claire asked after a moment.

"Yeah?" She asked, looking over at her.

"Isn't it a little bit odd?" She asked. "I've heard of stories about that Lumis and Umbra guys…it's a little odd that they would go after us of all people." He said softly. "I mean, I heard they dueled Kaiba and Yugi. Wouldn't it make a little bit more sense to go after them, rather than us?"

"Heh, maybe we're just that kickass." Marie answered with a smirk, which made Claire in turn giggle.

Eventually, the two found a bench the two of them could rest at, and both sat there, looking up the sky.

"Yeah, I knew something felt up," Marie whispered. "See that? I don't think I've seen the stars this bright before."

"Now that you mention it…" Claire said to her, looking up at the indeed brighter stars. Normally, she loved to watch the stars, but she had to look away. They seemed to burn her a little bit.

Once more, silence grew between the two of them both looking down at the ground. The stars being that bright, it was unnatural…

"So, what now?" Claire asked her friend. "I mean, we're wandering around Domino and for some unknown reason, we're not being attacked." She chuckled. "I mean, you would expect something to leap out and attack us or something."

"God, don't jinx us, Claire." Marie sighed.

"Why not?"

"Because it might just happen!"

A figure leapt in front of the two from one of the buildings surrounding the two, and Tony was standing there, his arms crossed and a dark aura around him. His arms were crossed, and he grinned down at the two.

"Well, well, well, if it's not my two favorite girls in the whole world…" He chuckled.

"Heh, hey Tony," Marie said with a small grin. "Been wondering where you were. Get too embarrassed getting beaten by a bunch of fairies?"

"And what does THAT mean?" Claire asked, looking skeptically at her friend.

"Oh calm down, hon, you know I love you," Marie said.

"WHILE that was embarrassing," Tony spoke up to remind the two he was indeed still there, "I plan to make sure it never happens again, because I have something new that will completely destroy you!"

"Sorry, but count me out," Claire said with a yawn. "I'd rather not humiliate you again, and we're kinda tired. Come on Marie, let's get out of here."

"Right," Marie grinned, "Sorry buddy, but you just ain't worth our time."

Tony watched the two, and his eyes narrowed. "Then I'll MAKE it worth your time!"

His hand flew out, and a dark hand like object grabbed Marie around the waist. The Amazoness girl screamed as she was pulled back to Tony, and thrusted against the wall. Marie screamed as she was slammed against the concrete wall, and what appeared to be dark webbings stretched over her form, and kept her in place. She gasped and struggled, but they proved to be too much for her to shake off.

"Marie!" Claire exclaimed. "Let go of her!" She exclaimed to Tony, clutching a fist tight.

"Sorry, fraid I can't." Tony said with a small, innocent shrug of his shoulders. "See, all that darkness there has a mind of its own; the most I can do is keep it at bay and make sure it doesn't eat your friend alive."

Marie squeaked as a large, snake like head shot from the darkness and snapped at her face, making her cringe and struggle far harder.

"And trust me on this when I say that the darkness is hungry…" He laughed and dipped his head back, turning back to the brown haired girl. "Now then, that can be remedied, should you defeat me in a duel. That way, the Summoner can no longer hold them to this world, and they…" he fiddled his fingers about, "Disappear."

"And why should I believe you?" She seethed.

"Fine, don't believe me." He said. "Dinner time boys!"

Marie paled as the snakes began to rise from the webs, hissing loudly.

"Wait! Stop!" Claire shouted, holding up her hands in defeat. "I'll duel you, just don't hurt her!"

"Ha! Knew that would get you." He smirked and activated his duel disk quickly, his duel disk having transformed into a strange dragon like hybrid creature, a black dragon like head sticking out of one end.

Claire took notice of this and activated her own duel disk.

"Let's duel!"

**(Claire: 8,000) - - - - - - - (Tony: 8,000)**

"And I think I'll start things off," Tony said, drawing his card, "And I'll start it off quick! I summon Archfiend Soldier in Attack Mode!"

The rather hideous fiend with the rusty, serrated blade appeared in front of him, growling from beneath his helmet. (1,900/1,500)

"And then, I play the Spell card…" he said with a small cackle as he tilted his head back, "The mighty and powerful Transformation!"

There was a dark pillar of energy surrounding Tony, and his cackling laughter was the only thing heard from it. The pillar dissipated, and a new figure was in the place Tony was.

He was currently wearing pure black armor, tight fitting at that with spikes and blades around its shoulders and elbows. He now wore a helmet, which was rather frightening looking. In the form of a Black Dragon of sorts, with a bright blue eye on his forehead and two more red eyes on either side. He cackled and clutched a clawed glove. His eyes could be seen through a black visor.

"This is more like it!" he cackled, throwing his head back and looking forward. "This fits like a dream! I feel like I could be a Power Ranger!"

"You're a freak." Claire told him, narrowing her eyes at him, "All you've done is buff yourself up with some snazzy new armor!"

"Oh, it's a lot more than that, babe," he chuckled, crossing his arms. "I'll end my turn. Now go on, I'll show you what I mean."

Claire growled and drew her card. She looked at it and smiled.

"I summon Hysteric Fairy in Attack Mode!" She shouted, showing the card.

In front of her appeared the obviously annoyed fairy. She sighed and chewed on her lip, putting her clipboard over to the side. (1,800/1,000)

"And now I equip her with Cestus of Dagla," She said, sliding the spell into the disk.

A pair of blades appeared in the Fairies hands, and for the first time in a while, she had a pleased look on her face. She rose to an attack of 2,300.

"Attack the Archfiend Soldier!"

Rather than getting her hands dirty, she went to adjusting her glasses. A beam shot, and struck the fiend. The said fiend screamed in pain and flew back into pixels.

**(Claire: 8,400) - - - - - - - (Tony: 7,600)**

Tony chuckled from behind his helmet. "All coming according to plan…" he whispered to himself softly, his eyes narrowing from behind his mouth piece. "Anything else princess?"

"Yeah, stop calling me princess!" Claire shouted. She ended her turn.

Tony drew his card and looked at it. He chuckled darkly and slid a card into his deck, announcing, "I set one card facedown and end my turn."

"Huh?" Claire asked this. "You're not even gonna try and defend with a monster? I'm gonna bowl over you!"

Tony didn't respond.

_That's probably a trap if I've ever seen one,_she thought, _Should lay low until I can destroy it…_

"I'll summon Zolga in Attack Mode." She said.

The frightening looking head piece and robe appeared in front of her. (1,700/1,000)

"And I chain my facedown!" Tony laughed as his facedown flipped up. "Battle Mania, this forces all monsters on your side of the field to attack!"

"What?!" Claire asked as Zolga and her Hysteric Fairy began to glow with a blue energy, "You're defenseless! You'll lose 4,000 Life Points!"

"Oh…we'll see." Was Tony's Cryptic response.

Zolga was the first and flew over; slowly floating over Tony's armored form and suddenly exploded from a massive burst of energy from the armor. Claire's shock increased as the Fairy adjusted her glasses, but the second the beams struck the darkness of the armor, she exploded.

Both Marie and Claire were shocked, as Tony laughed.

"You thought this card was just for decoration?" Tony asked, pointing to his Transformation Spell card still on the field. "Far from it! It's quite a powerful effect!"

His armor began to glow with a dark energy.

"See, any time one of your monsters makes the foolish attempt to attack me directly, I lose no life points!" he held his hands out. "And as an added bonus, the monster that attacks me is destroyed!"

"Whoa…" Marie whispered. "That's…powerful…"

"And broken," Claire seethed, "Who did you have to kill to get THAT card, Tony?"

Tony suddenly burst out laughing, as if the resulting answer was far too funny to answer.

"Oh, I didn't have to kill anyone, my MASTER on the other hand is a completely different story…" he smirked.

Claire blinked. "Master?" She asked.

"Eh…forget I said anything." He said quickly. "Finish up with your move all ready!"

Claire glared and waved her hand, signaling she ended her turn.

Tony drew his card and looked at it. A small smirk gleamed across his face, and he announced, "I summon The Dark King of the Abyss in Attack Mode!" he shouted.

A shadow rose up from his side of the field, and a loud cackle escaped it as a skeletal man appeared in front of him, with a large, rather gaudy looking gem like third eye in it. (1,200/800)

"Dark King of the Abyss?" Claire asked. "Someone actually USES that card anymore?"

"Oh there's a other ways to use him…like, did you know he was one of the most feared cards in all of the Duel Monsters realm?" Tony asked conversationally.

"You're kidding," Claire sweatdropped.

"Oh no, far from it! Before Ha Des demoted him to what he is now, he used to be a rather feared demon. One that sent others cowering at the very sight of him! Now I'll summon that form by playing Vengeful Evolution!"

The spell appeared on the field, and Dark King of the Abyss began to cackle as a black aura surrounded him, and he began to transform.

"Now he can have his true strength unleashed! Prepare to fight the true leader of the Abyss! Come forth, Diabolos, King of the Abyss!"

The creature that had taken the Dark King of the Abyss' slot on the field looked nothing like him, instead like a giant, twenty foot demonic dragon, with chains criss crossing his chest, and three eyes on his head. (2,800/1,000)

"Oh my." Claire sweatdropped again, taking a step back.

"And that's not all," Tony said through his helmet, "Not only is he quite the looker, but he's going to attack you directly!"

Diabolos tilted his head back, and slowly began to inhale. A blast of black, searing fire shot out and blasted against Claire, making her scream in pain.

**(Claire: 5,600) - - - - - - - (Tony: 7,600)**

"That felt real…" Claire whispered, holding her chest in pain, grimacing.

"Everything feels real in the midst of a shadow game." Tony smirked through his helmet, sliding a card into his disk. "I set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Claire reached for her deck…

"Ah! Wait, wait, wait," Tony grinned as Diabolos' eyes began to glow. "Diabolos has a powerful effect you know. I can look at the top card of your deck, and decide whether or not it goes on the bottom of your deck, or stays on the top."

A large holographic image of her card, Shining Abyss, appeared in front of him.

"I'll keep it on top, and chain it with my facedown!" He shouted as the hologram vanished, and his facedown flipped up. "Conscription! I can look at the top card of your deck, and if happens to be a Monster that can be Normal Summoned, I can Summon it!"

The trap glowed, and Shining Abyss appeared on his side of the field. (1,600/1,800)

Claire gulped as she drew the next card of her deck, and she blinked. Well, THAT was rather convenient…

"I set one card facedown, and set one monster in defense." She said to the young man, standing there in the armor that resembled the monster he had summoned. "That ends my turn."

Tony drew his card calmly and looked at it. Nothing she did could shock him, he would know everything!

"Shining Abyss, attack your master's defense monster!"

Shining Abyss charged a ball of energy and shot it forward…

…Only to reveal Gellenduo, who bounced back to place after the beam struck. They giggled and blew raspberries at him. (1,700/0)

Tony twitched a bit. "You have no idea how lucky you are, you bitch," He said, clutching a claw. "I set one facedown card and end my turn. Let's just see how well you can turn this around." He sneered.

Claire grinned and reached to draw her card…

"Ah, ah, ah!" Tony reminded. "In case you forgot, Diabolos is still here…let's see what that card is, shall we?"

The card appeared before Tony, and he frowned, seeing it was Pot of Greed.

"I'd say that goes on the bottom."

Claire frowned as she put the card on the bottom of her deck. She then drew her card quickly. She looked at it, and smiled. "This is more like it," She said with a giggle, "I play my Gellenduo's special ability, making it worth two sacrifices when I summon a Fairy type! So who better than my main girl, Guardian Angel Joan!"

Gellenduo gave a small giggle as they both vanished, and in their place appeared the red haired fairy, holding her hands together in a soft prayer. (2,800/2,000)

"Attack Shining Abyss!" Claire exclaimed, "Heaven's Prayer Blast!"

Joan began to charge up a beam of energy in her hands…

"Ha! I was WAITING for you to play her! I play…Astral Shift!" Tony shouted, throwing a hand to his facedown card. "This allows me to make the attack on my monster into a direct attack, and with Transformation…well, that's a rather bad thing, isn't it?" He grinned.

Claire paled as the attack went through Shining Abyss and struck Tony's armor, rebounding back and striking Joan, who screamed and exploded into pixels.

Claire paled and dropped to one knee. "Joan…no…"

"What's even better, since I did that, I'm allowed to draw a card!" Tony snatched the top card off his deck.

"Claire!" Marie shouted, leaning forward. "Claire, come on, get up! You can come back from that!"

Claire groaned and nodded. "Yeah…yeah…" She looked at one card in her hand, and to another card. "Hey…yeah, I can! I play Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen. With this card, if I don't have any monsters on my side of the field, I'm allowed to Special Summon my Fairies, so I'll summon Tethys, The God of Light."

A man dressed in a loose fitting robe appeared, with long, white wings wrapped around his body. He curled up in Defense Mode. (2,400/1,800)

"And I guess I end my turn."

"That's all? Humph, pathetic." He drew his card and looked at it. "And I think I'll start with playing Linear Accelerator Cannon to offer your Shining Abyss, and deal you some damage."

The Shining Abyss began to glow, and turned into a ball of light, which exploded and sent Claire back a few feet.

**(Claire: 4,700) - - - - - - - (Tony: 7,600)**

"And now, Diabolos will attack your pretty little fairy!" Tony shouted as Diabolos began to gather its black flames in its mouth.

Claire responded by throwing her hand up, and revealing her facedown trap to be Negate Attack.

Tony grunted. "Fine, I'll just end my turn."

Claire was about to reach for her next card, but Diabolos' eyes glowed and the card appeared in front of him. Tony smirked, seeing it was a card called Mystic Shine Ball.

_Heh, 500 Attack and Defense? That's nothing. Even my weakest monster can take care of that. I'll let her face this freebie…_

"I'll let you keep that card on top."

Claire drew the card and added it to her hand. Suddenly, Tethys wings began to glow with a bright light.

"Heh, thanks!" Claire said with a giggle, "Since I just drew a Fairy monster, Tethys allows me to show it to you, and draw another card!"

She showed him the Mystic Shine Ball, and drew an additional card. She frowned as she saw what it was.

"Shoot…I set a card down and end my turn."

Tony drew his card and smirked as he looked at it. "Heh, that's far better. I summon Giant Orc in Attack Mode!"

A large, bulky, or was it overweight in the shape of muscles, creature with pale blue skin appeared, with a large club that seemed to be either a large bone or a tree trunk. (2,200/0)

"Heh, heh, heh," Tony smirked. "However, I think I'm going to be nice and set this card facedown…thus ending my turn."

A facedown card appeared behind the Orc, and Claire watched as her top card appeared in front of Tony, she watched as he pondered over whether or not he should keep the card on the top or on the bottom.

_Why didn't he attack Tethys…? _She asked. _He could have done some massive damage…_

Finally, he decided, and the card appeared on the bottom. Claire drew her card (which was Marie the Fallen One, a Fiend, not a fairy) and tucked it into her hand.

_I could attack his Giant Orc and keep it off the field, but that would mean Diabolos would get a clear shot of her. Not a wise choice._

"I end my turn with another defense monster," She said aloud as a facedown monster appeared in front of her, right beside Tethys, "And end my turn."

Tony drew his card, his eyes gleaming. Another perfect draw, as usual. "I play Gift of the Martyr!" He shouted.

Giant Orc howled in confusion as he dissolved into lights and was quickly sucked into Diabolos. The mighty fiend dragon roared as he glowed and rose to 5,000 Attack Points.

"And then my facedown Meteorain!"

His facedown lifted, and Diabolos erupted in a blaze of fire.

"And now when my monster attacks this turn, I can deal you damage through your defense!"

Claire paled heavily.

"Attack her facedown defense monster my monster!"

Diabolos let loose an air rippling amount of black flames from its maw, and struck the defense position Mystic Shine Ball was obliterated, and the backlash sent Claire tumbling down the street.

"Claire!" Marie screamed in horror, ignoring the darkness snake snapping just at her jugular.

Claire was sprawled off down the street, her black hair strewn across her like a curtain, and her limbs at all angles. She was moaning in pain…

**(Claire: 200) - - - - - - - (Tony: 7,600)**

Tony smirked the whole time, his clawed fingertips sliding against each other in amusement. "Think you can stand?" He asked her, "Or do you need another painful reason to stay down…?"

"B-Bite me…" She hissed angrily as she rose up, spitting out a bit of blood and rising up, "The day I give up is the day I tear Joan in half…"

Tony chuckled. "Women…always so stubborn…I end my turn."

Claire let Tony decide and watched as he kept the card on the bottom. She drew her card, and smirked a bit. "I set one card facedown and end my turn…"

Tony drew his card, and he smirked. "And now to seal the deal…" he chuckled. "I play Premature Burial to bring back to my Giant Orc."

The large, bulky Orc appeared in front of Tony, mumbling in confusion as he looked around. (2,200/0)

"And that's not all! I'm gonna summon the guy that's gonna seal your fate once and for all!" He laughed, throwing a hand forward. "I sacrifice my Orc to summon Dark Ruler Ha Des!"

Diabolos started at his name, and watched as the Orc vanished in a massive bonfire of black flames, and from said flames, the green skinned, regal king of fiends appeared with a low cackle. (2,450/1,600)

Diabolos turned to face Ha Des and roared loudly in anger and rage, if anything. Ha Des merely sneered at the giant dragon.

"You two can just deal with it, I have a duel to start winning." He smirked. "Diabolos, attack her fairy!"

Diabolos breathed a long line of fire that struck Tethys and caused her to explode into pixels.

"Ha Des…" Tony began.

"Hold it right there buddy," Claire shouted, throwing her hand up. "I'm playing a trap of my own, the powerful Angel Tear!"

Her facedown card flipped up quickly.

"And with this, I'll remove four of my Fairies from play…" She said, sliding a group of her fairies from the graveyard and into her pocket. "I'm allowed to special summon from my Graveyard any fairy I want, like Guardian Angel Joan!"

Guardian Angel Joan erupted onto the field in a pillar of bright light. (2,800/2,000)

Ha Des stopped charging his blast and frowned.

"Fine," Tony huffed, crossing his arms. "I'll end my turn."

Claire waited until Tony was done putting her card on the bottom. It must have been good. She then drew her card, and she smiled.

"This is better." She grinned. "I'm getting tired of seeing you in that armor, so how about we strip you down? I play Mystical Space Typhoon!"

Tony's eyes opened in pure horror as the powerful tornado began to strip him of his armor, but before it did, a MASSIVE explosion ripped him apart. When the dust and the wind quelled, Tony was laying on his side, smoking.

**(Claire: 200) - - - - - - - (Tony: 800)**

"What the HELL was that?" Marie asked in confusion.

"Transformations effect, I guess…" Claire said as Tony rose up slowly. "When I destroy it, you lose Life Points equal to the combined Attack of all the monsters that were destroyed by it, don't you?"

"Give the girl…" Tony coughed hard, "A prize…she actually figured it out…"

Claire glared at him. "And my next turn I'm taking down your ugly dragon once and for all!" Looking at her hand, she slid one card in. "I end my turn…"

Tony drew his card. _I'll destroy her this turn…especially with my…_He looked at it. _Extra Copy of Vengeful Evolution!? Aw of all the stupid dead draws!_

"I'll switch Ha Des to Defense Mode and end my turn…" He grumbled as Ha Des knelt down onto one knee and crossed his arms. He glared at Diabolos as the Dragon seemed to sneer at him.

Tony waved his hand and looked at the hand. _Sanctuary in the Sky? Can't have that at ALL…_He put it on the bottom.

Claire drew her card quickly and looked at it. She grinned. "I play Card of Sanctity, allowing us both to draw until we have a full hand."

Tony scowled as they both drew a full hand of cards. Claire looked at hers and grinned.

"Okay Joan, attack Ha Des!"

Joan lifted her hands up and shot a beam of light down on the fiend King. He howled as he was buffeted by the holy light, and screamed as he exploded into pixels.

**(Claire: 2,650) - - - - - - - (Tony: 800)**

Diabolos seemed very pleased that Ha Des was finally gone, and looked forward with a low snarl.

"And now that I have some more life points, I think I'll spend them! I'll summon Agent of Creation – Venus!"

In front of her appeared a young lady with a golden silk dress, and long glowing hair. Around here were three orbs, red, purple and blue. (1,600/0)

"Then, I'll pay 1,000 Life Points to Special Summon Two Mystic Shine Balls from my deck to my field!"

Beside the angel appeared two orbs that looked similar to the orbs floating around here, but more see through and silver like than any other color. (500/500) X 2

"Then I play the spell card, Strategic Retreat! I can now switch my Venus to defense mode this turn!"

Venus knelt down on her knees in a praying position.

"And by setting one more card facedown, I end my turn."

Tony drew his card angrily, looking at the seven current cards in his hand. "I'll show you what happens when you mess with me! I first play Monster Reincarnation to discard this card, and bring Ha Des back to my hand!"

He discarded the card from his hand, and took the fiend king back.

"Then, I play Fiend's Sanctuary! This let's me get a Fiend Token in attack mode!"

In front of him appeared a small stick figure man, made completely out of silver beads. (0/0)

"Which I'll then sacrifice for Dark Ruler Ha Des again!" he shouted as the Bead creature vanished, and in front of Tony appeared Ha Des again. Diabolos snarled loudly as he glared at the king, and grit his teeth.

"And now to win this thing!" Tony shouted, showing another spell card. "Gift of the Martyr, which lets me offer Ha Des as a tribute to let me increase Diabolos' attack by Ha Des' attack!"

Ha Des looked at Tony in shock and began to slow evaporate into black pixels, which were quickly absorbed by Diabolos. The Dragon looked on in shock as this happened, as if a great mistake had been made. The Fiend Dragon rose to 5,250 Attack Points.

"Attack her damned Guardian Angel!" Tony roared as the Dragon charged up a blast of energy in its maw, and shot the blackened flames.

"And I play my facedown card!" She shouted as she threw her hand out, the facedown card, "Level the Playing Field! With this card, when your monsters battle mine, it makes it so they're forced to attack with their base Attack Score!"

Diabolos fell back down to 2,800 Attack, and Joan charged up her own beam, throwing her hands forward as the ball of light enveloped the fire, and both monsters blew apart.

Tony was silent…and he finally broke apart into laughter. "Oh you fool! You've completely sealed your fate! Because of his destruction, I can play the Spell card, Deal with the Dark Ruler!"

The Spell appeared, and a massive pillar erupted from the monster slot in front of him. A creature began to form, and finally it seemed to be a long, gangly dragon with long, shock white hair and razor sharp beak like mouth. The Berserk Dragon had risen. (3,500/0)

"And guess what?" Tony asked with a smirk, not only is it my battle phase still, my Berserk Dragon can attack all your monsters! Attack them all, my great beast!"

The Dragon roared loudly, opening its mouth and releasing three large molten fire balls, striking the three fairies. They exploded into pixels as the fireballs struck them.

"you're just lucky my dragon loses some strength after each battle phase." Tony frowned as his monsters attack fell to 3,000. "But to make sure you can't get rid of him with a card effect of some kind, I equip him with Zombie Lineage, which I can use to stop his destruction by card effects by destroying the equip instead! I end my turn!"

Claire closed her eyes and drew a card. _All comes down to this…_She thought to herself and looked at it. She grinned deviously.

"Oh, Tony, mind telling me what's on the field?" he asked.

"Please, nothing you have can scare me." He sneered. "All you have is that…oh no."

"Oh yes, I play Valhalla, Hall of the Fallens' effect and Special Summon another Monster from my hand, like…the Splendid Venus!"

A Beautiful angel appeared in front of her, one who wore such glowing armor; it seemed to envelope the whole empty, dark street in glorious light. She had four wings coming out of the armor, and held a small, hand held staff in her left hand. (2,800/2,400)

"Ha! You think she scares me? My Berserk Dragon is still stronger, and…he's…gonna…What?!"

The Dragon was obviously in pain, slumped over in pain as smoke began to seep from his scales, and he fell to 2,500 Attack Points.

"The best thing about my Fairy is the fact that all monsters on the field that aren't Fairies themselves lose 500 Attack points as long as my monster is on the field!" Claire said with a small grin on her face. "Plus, we're gonna finish this now with Rush Recklessly!"

Venus began to glow, and she rose to 3,500 Attack Points. Tony gasped.

"And I think I'm gonna use that against you! Splendid Venus, attack his monster!"

Venus held up her staff and a bright beam of energy striking the Zombie. The Monster screeched as he rose up and froze. The skin or lack thereof was ripped from his body, revealing the skeletal make up of the beast. It's bones shattered, and he erupted into pixels.

Tony was screaming in agony as the light bombarded him, and the light from that same attack struck the shadow bindings on Marie. The snakes in its make up hissed and vanished into wisps of darkness.

**(Claire: 1,650) - - - - - - - (Tony: 0)**

Tony was on his knees panting, as smoke wisped from his body. "I…I won't…I can't…wait…master! Please! Don't!"

A dark portal appeared at his feet, and a dark hand gripped him by the ankle. "Please, master! I'm sorry! I can beat her! Just give me another chance!" he was dragged into the darkness.

"….O…kay…" Marie said, blinking.

…

Tony landed on the ground as he slid from the wall with a loud grunt, coughing up a little bit of blood.

Philip walked over to Tony with clenched fists, currently in his real form as black flames danced around his body. His eyes flared red in the darkness of the room.

"What the HELL is wrong with you…?" he growled. "How on earth could you include Ha Des in that deck!? How dare you fit that out dated king into your deck, with Diabolos in it no less! I made that deck specifically to expand upon the energy and power of Diabolos, but when you included Ha Des…that threw everything out of control!"

He lifted him up and threw him back into the wall.

"Ha Des was the very reason Diabolos became the Dark King of the Abyss! By having them both on the field, the conflicting energies over the field caused YOU to have worse and worse draws! What were you thinking?!"

"I…I thought I could…win by making a deadly combination with him and Diabolos…manipulate her draws…and negate her monster effects…" he grunted.

"And that is where you went wrong, you idiot! When she exploited the weakness of Transformation, you panicked and tried to end it there! You could have won there but no, you had to fear for yourself and summon that upstart fiend ruler! And THAT is why you lost! It was your own fault!"

Tony grunted in pain as he was slammed into the wall again for the third consecutive time. More blood spilled from his mouth.

"However, I suppose one can't be too mad at you." He chuckled as he walked over to him and lifted him into the air. "I can tell you, unlike what your father thought, I have some use of you."

He smirked as a dark dagger appeared in his hand.

"Now this won't hurt…"

Matt watched on in dim silence as Tony screamed…

…

"And welcome to the second day of the Kaiba Corp. Grand Prix!" Roland exclaimed into the microphone, making the crowd erupt into loud cheers. "Please help me welcome back our winning duelists form behind!"

The Spotlight found the duelists who won previously, making the four kids smile innocently and wave, Yugi blush and grin nervously, Joey grin like a idiot and give the peace sign, Kaiba give an ever staring glare with his arms crossed, and Philip…merely stood there, looking down with a deep blush on his cheeks.

"Now, how about we skip the pleasantries and get right down to what you've been waiting for, and bring out the first duel!"

The screen rose up behind him, and the faces began to flash around the screen. Suddenly, two faces flashed together, revealing Marie and Philip.

"And our first duel is with Marie and Philip!" Roland exclaimed as he rose his right hand into the air. "Let's give them a round of applause and show some support! Come on!"

Marie grinned and kissed Falco on the cheek as she raced off, her eyes having shadows under them from the night before.

Philip passed between Yugi and Kaiba, and both blinked as they almost felt a…shock between them. They watched as Philip moved between them to the dueling field.

"…I don't like this kid," Kaiba mumbled to himself and Yugi…though more to himself.

"I know what you mean." The spiky haired King of Games frowned with him. "Something about him is really…off…We should keep an eye on him."

Kaiba nodded. "Besides, if we end up dueling…heh, he won't be that much in the way anymore."

Yugi didn't say anything after that. He narrowed his eyes at Philip…something was horribly wrong about him…

Something dark…something…

…He _knew…_

…

Transformation  
Type: Spell/Continuous  
Image: A bright light enveloping an unknown person  
Effect: While this card is face up on your side of the field, when you are attacked directly by an opponents monster, any battle damage inflicted to your Life Points from that attack is returned to 0. When this card is sent to the graveyard, inflict damage to your Life Points equal to the combined ATK of all monsters that were destroyed by this effect.

_Note: "Transformation" was first used by Syrus in the "Yugioh GX" Manga. All creative credit goes to the writers of that issue._

Vengeful Evolution  
Type: Spell/Quick-play  
Image: Dark King of the Abyss enveloped in a shadow resembling Diabolos, towering over a frightened looking Dark Ruler Ha Des  
Effect: Activate only by sacrificing one "Dark King of the Abyss" on your side of the field as a tribute. Special Summon from your deck or hand one "Diabolos, King of the Abyss", ignoring all summoning restrictions.

Strategic Retreat  
Type: Spell  
Image: A Total Defense Shogun forcing his way through a tight crevice, fighting Dark World Fiends  
Effect: Switch one of your monsters you summoned this turn to Defense Position. If that monster attacked, your opponent draws one card.

Level the Playing Field  
Type: Trap  
Image: Valkyrion the Magna Warrior striking an Ultimate Obedient Fiend with a broken Sword of Deep Seated  
Effect: When your opponent attacks, all monsters battle with their Original base ATK.

_Note: These three cards were made by Metal Overlord 2.0, Max, my friend and Beta. Thanks mate, you rule!_

Astral Shift  
Type: Trap  
Image: A Maiden of the Aqua with a beam going through her chest, striking her duelist.  
Effect: You can activate this card when an opponent declares an attack. Your opponents monsters attack becomes a direct attack on your life points. Then, draw 1 card from your deck.

_Note: Astral Shift was first used by Jaden in a Season Four episode of "Yugioh! GX" all creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

Angel Tear  
Type: Trap  
Image: A Fairy on his knees, with a bright light shining above him  
Effect: Remove from play 4 FAIRY-Type monsters in your graveyard. Special Summon one FAIRY-Type monster from your graveyard.

_Note: "Angel Tear" was first used by Reggie in the Yugioh GX Manga. All creative credit goes to the writers of that manga._

…

And so we enter day two of the Grand Prix! Marie goes against the Mysterious Philip in her second day of dueling, and during the duel, he reveals his true colors….don't miss the next chapter, The Darkness Revealed. Coming soon!....Hopefully sooner than THIS chapter did anyway.


	15. The Darkness Revealed

Disclaimer: Hey ya'll, me here, just finishing up my hunt for the disclaimer himself, and so I wanted to say, I own nothing regarding Yugioh! Enjoy the chapter!

…

**The Darkness Revealed**

…

Unsurprisingly Michael and the gang had difficulty getting out of bed to get ready for the next half of the tournament, all of them having spent the better part of the night in a life or death shadow game (or in Claire's case two, which was why she was nursing a travel mug of espresso leaning against Michael half the time). Marie may not have been as tired but Falco noticed she seemed a little distracted. Apparently she had had a very…unusual, morning once.

Jason had woken up. Jason had lumbered into the kitchen when Marie had been sitting down to eat breakfast looking like a zombie. His eyes were blood shot, bags were under them, his hair a complete mess and everything ached. He muttered something under his breath about a nightmare before making a beeline for the cereal.

"Morning, Jason." Marie attempted to say to her brother. She knew her small pleasantries would go ignored or countered by something along the lines of a "Drop dead" or something involving dancing on her grave when she died.

"Morning sis." Was all he said, walking over and grabbing a bowl of cereal for himself, going to the refrigerator to grab some milk. He was halfway there when he realized what he said to her, and both siblings looked to each other, surprise.

"Jason, did you just say "Good Morning" to me?" She asked, very surprised.

"Eh…yeah…I…think I did…" it was weird…all the hate he had previously felt all towards his sister, all the ill will had just…vanished…it was the weirdest thing. "Weird, huh?"

Marie didn't know how to take this. She was staring at him, waiting for the insult to come, for the milk to get dumped on her head or something of the like that would inflict either damage to her physically or pride. Nothing came.

"Yeah…" She said, cautiously. "Weird…"

There was a small silence as Marie stared at her younger brother. Expecting SOMETHING to happen. WOULD something happen? Or had something actually been wrong with him?

"You're dueling today, right Marie?" Jason asked conversationally. He scooped another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"…Yeah?" She asked, blinking a bit.

Much to her surprise, he smiled. "Well…good luck." He said with a nod to her. "With any luck you won't get Kaiba or Yugi as an opponent…"

Marie had had enough, and rushed over, pressing her hand to his forehead. "Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

At that moment, their mother walked into the kitchen, blinking. "Marie, what are you doing to your brother?"

"He's acting weird!" she shouted, very concerned, "He's…being NICE to me! He didn't wish me death or anything!"

Jason looked as though he didn't do anything wrong and really…he didn't. "Marie…shouldn't you be getting ready to duel?" he asked her innocently.

"…Oh shoot! The duel! I forgot it was today!"

And so, racing up to her room, she grabbed her duel disk and deck, having all ready forgotten about the odd incident with her brother.

…

"And let the duel commence!" Shouted Roland excitedly, throwing his hand into the air as the sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky and it was nice and humid.

Marie narrowed her eyes at Philip, who was smirking at the brunette haired duelist.

"Let's duel!" Both of them shouted, activating their duel disk and drawing their cards.

**(Marie: 8,000) - - - - - - - (Philip: 8,000)**

"And I believe I'll draw first." Philip stated calmly as he drew his card and looked at it. Smirking, he slid it in, "I summon the Vampiric Leech in Attack Mode."

In a flash of light, a rather hideous looking beast appeared. Insect like, with green skin and writhing tentacles all around its hide. (500/1,200)

"Hm?" Marie asked, in confusion, "Why would you summon something that weak on the first—"

"Attack her directly!"

She screamed in surprise as the creature leapt into action and bit into her arm, making her take a step back and shook it off.

"Ow!" She exclaimed. "What was THAT?"

"My Vampiric Leech is a very powerful monster if I use him right!" Philip explained, "He can attack anytime, even during the first move of the duel. And what's even better is I can switch him to defense mode to protect my OWN Life Points by merely discarding a card in my hand."

He discarded a card in his hand, and the Leech curled up in a tight ball.

"I think I can set one more card facedown, and end my turn." He said to her.

Up in the stands Yugi frowned. That strange feeling that he knew Phillip from somewhere had grown even stronger seeing that opening move. Vampire Leech was a very rare card, and the few duelists who did have it were infamous due to the potential OTK strategies one could use with it, so why hadn't he heard of anyone named Phillip using it?

Marie glared at him and drew a card, looking at her six card hand. She threw a card onto the disk. "I summon Amazoness Paladin!"

The heavily muscled, sword wielding amazoness appeared in front of Marie, holding aloft her sword. (1,700/300) --- (1,800/300)

"Attack the Vampiric Leech!"

Leaping into the air, she spun her sword around and the Amazoness pierced the fleshy hide of the insect creature. It exploded in bug guts, and Philip frowned.

"Are you just about done?" he asked her. "Because I'm playing my facedown trap, Coffin Seller. From this moment on, any monster that hits your graveyard will drain you of 300 Life Points!"

She grinned. "I don't expect any of that to happen." She said. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn!"

Philip drew a card and looked at it. A devious smirk crossed his features. "I summon the Dreaded Viser Des!"

What appeared didn't appear on Philips side of the field, but rather on Marie's. It was a frightening looking contraption, looking like a combination of a black, spiky fiend grafted onto head cage. It locked into place over the Amazoness Paladin, who gasped. On either side of the warriors neck…was a rusty nail. (500/1,200)

"Behold one of the most gruesome devices in my deck." He smirked. "Now your monster is on a time limit of sorts. For three of my turns, my monster can't be destroyed in battle, and on that third turn, your monster will be destroyed!"

Marie's eyes widened.

"And, to ensure I have some form of protection, I set these three cards facedown…and end my turn."

He emptied his hand onto his disk, leaving him with nothing.

Marie drew her card swiftly and looked at it. "Yes! How about this then? I summon Amazoness Fighter!"

The well developed muscled warrior appeared, cracking her knuckles in excitement for a brawl. (1,500/1,500)

"Attack Viser Des! Try to knock it off!"

The Warrior threw a punch at the odd Machine/Fiend combination, but achieved nothing but getting a sore hand and giving the Paladin a bad headache at the amount the creature shook from the strike.

**(Marie: 7,500) - - - - - - - (Philip: 7,000)**

"I must thank you for doing that," Philip cackled as one of his first facedown's lifted up, "Because I'm allowed to activate Card of Last Will, which, since you attacked while I have no cards in my hand, I'm allowed to draw until I have five cards in my hand!"

He snatched a group of cards from the top of his deck and fanned them out; revealing he had indeed drew five cards perfectly.

"And I was nice enough to give you the time to attack, and I'll thank your monster by putting her through the same Torture her sister is going through, such as Nightmare Wheel!"

The facedown card lifted, and the horrific looking wheel appeared, and the chains shot out, reaching for the Amazoness Fighter…

"And I'd rather not have her go through the same thing as her sister, thank you! I'll save her with Dramatic Rescue!"

Her facedown lifted up.

"Since my monster is being targeted by a card effect, I'm allowed to trade her out for another Amazoness in my hand, such as Amazoness Chain Master!"

Another of the dark skinned, muscled warriors appeared, this one holding a very long chain, a sharp kunai on the end of it as she spun it around. (1,500/1,300)

"And guess what, I still have a battle phase and I'm gonna use them! Amazoness Chain Master, attack Viser Des!"

The monster prepared to throw its kunai…

"And I chain that to Nightmare Mirror!" Philip countered, his final facedown flipping up, "By discarding one card from my hand, your attack is negated and you lose 1,000 Life Points!"

The kunai slammed against a mirror that appeared in front of the torture device, and it broke. A shard flew at Marie, and she cried out as it stabbed her. "Ow…" She whimpered.

**(Marie: 6,500) - - - - - - - (Philip: 7,000)**

"Ergh…that sucked…" She said with a growl. "I'll just end my turn!"

Philip drew his card calmly, like he was plotting something. He smirked. "I summon Granadora, also known as the Spike Tailed Lizard."

Spike Tailed Lizard seemed to be the most appropriate name, its skin was green and spikes were growing out of its head. Four yellow and black eyes were on each side as it hissed at Marie. (1,900/700)

"Oh man, what is that!" Michael exclaimed, looking rather disgusted.

"A monstrosity, that's what it is." Falco frowned.

"…And very familiar…" Yugi frowned deeper, his eyes narrowing. Everything about this was so…familiar.

"And for merely summoning him to the field, I gain 1,000 Life Points." Philip laughed as he glowed with a golden energy. "And he's going to attack your Amazoness Chain master!"

The Spiked Tailed horror screamed and rushed forward, all of its teeth gleaming in the morning sun as he pounced on the Amazoness. He stabbed her with one of the numerous spikes on its body, and the poor creature exploded into pixels.

Marie grimaced as she lost the Life Points, and again as the Coffin Seller trap card began to glow with a dark energy.

**(Marie: 5,800) - - - - - - - (Philip: 8,000)**

Philip grinned a grin that Marie did not like. "I'll set one additional card facedown, switch my Viser Des to defense mode, and thus end my turn."

Marie snatched the top card off her deck and looked at it. She grinned widely.

"I summon Amazoness Blowpiper!" She shouted.

IN front of her, holding what appeared to be a simple blow pipe in her hand appeared another amazoness, wearing the same clothing as he sisters did. (800/1,500)

"And before you begin to start saying she can't beat Granadora, bite your tongue because she can. Especially with some help from the spell card Amazoness Spellcaster!"

Between the two monsters appeared a withered old Spellcaster, pointing to both the Reptile and the Warrior. Both began to glow.

With this card in play, I'm allowed to switch the attack of any monster I want on the field with another of my Amazoness on the field. So my Warrior just became a real fighter!"

The Amazoness smirked as she rose to 1,900 Attack Points, and the Granadora shrank as he was lowered to 800 itself.

"Amazoness Blowpiper, get that thing out of my sights!"

Amazoness Blowpiper flew through the air and did a small flip. She slammed her foot into the creatures underbelly, making it gag and screech before finally blowing into pixels.

Philip groaned as a purple aura surrounded him, and he sank to his knees.

"I take it your monsters draw back?" Marie smirked.

"A small needed one." He said with a cough. "If it's destroyed in battle…I lose 2,000 Life Points…"

"Kinda risky, don't you think?" Marie asked.

"Ah yes, it IS risky…but isn't that what the whole game is about?" Philip countered with a smirk.

**(Marie: 5,800) - - - - - - - (Philip: 4,900)**

"I end my turn…" She said.

Philip drew his card and looked at it. The screws twisted closer to the Amazoness' neck. She seemed to be growing more and more nervous.

Philip looked at the new card in his hand and he smirked a little bit. "Awww, what a shame." He said with a smirk. "I have nothing to play! I suppose I'll just end my turn…"

Marie screwed her face up in concentration as she drew her card. She looked at it, and she smirked.

"Okay! You wanna play rough, let's play rough! I summon Amazoness Tiger to the field!"

With a loud roar and a heavy thud, the massive female tiger appeared beside Marie, roaring loudly as she braced herself, ready to pounce. She bared her teeth out, her good eye glaring at the evil brunette boy. (1,100/1,500) --- (2,300/1,500)

"Then, I'll set one more card facedown, and end my turn." She said.

_I've got this thing in the bag. _She thought to herself, mischievously, _that Viser Des will destroy my Amazoness, but my facedown is Amazon Archers. So as long as his monster is below 2,800 Attack when he summons it, I'll destroy it, since he can't attack anyone else but my Tiger! Then I'll bring back my Amazoness and completely bowl him over! I've won!_

Philip drew his card and looked at it. "Three turns have passed, girly!" he laughed. "That means your amazoness bites the big one!"

Most of the crowd had to look away from the ordeal as Marie's monster screams as the screws pierced her neck. She let out a strangled, gargling sound. She let out a nervous twitch, and after coughing up some impressive amounts of blood, her eyes went dead, and she fell limp in mid air, the head piece still holding her up. She exploded into pixels.

Marie gawked at the scene. "That was…very graphic." She mumbled softly, rubbing her arm gently, as if attempting to comfort herself.

Philip smirked as he pointed to his Coffin Seller trap, which was glowing once again. "And another 300 Life Points are drained from your Score." He said.

Marie hissed as she glowed with the very same aura as the trap itself, and she shook it away. It wasn't that bad, it could have been worse…

"And now for another combo!" he smirked, taking another card from his hand. "I play the spell card, Swords of Concealing Light!"

"CONCEALING light?" Marie asked. "I've heard of revealing light but…hey!"

She cried out as large, black swords, a mockery of the Swords of Revealing Light slammed down around her field. However, much to her shock, her tiger let out a loud roar, struggled, and was suddenly replaced by a facedown card. Her Amazoness Blow Piper suffered the same fate.

"Swords of Concealing Light is the polar opposite of the Swords of Revealing Light!" Philip expressed with a sinister smirk, one that Yugi didn't like in the least. "Rather than flipping your monsters face up, they flip your monsters facedown! Which combos very well with this card! I offer my Viser Des for the dreaded Byser Shock!"

The Torture device vanished to reveal yet another torture device. This one seemed to be made for the feet, with floating spiked balls around it, conducting electricity. (800/800)

"And unlike Viser Des, this one doesn't destroy monsters, but rather, returns all facedown cards on the field back to the owner's hands!"

Marie gasped as her four cards on the field vanished, and appeared in her hand. Her eyes widened. _I'm wide open! This is gonna hurt…_

"But before you think I'm gonna let you summon those things again, you're a fool! I'm going to cut you off by playing Card Destruction!"

Marie's eyes widened, and she discarded the five cards in her hand. Philip did the same thing with his two cards, and they both drew new hands.

Marie's eyes fell on a card, and she suddenly grinned. "Okay buddy, you're in for it next turn!"

Philip shook his head, and looked at her, moving his brown hair out of his eyesight. "We've got a few effects to work with though." He chuckled. "Coffin seller still works, and last I checked, you just discarded quite a few of them."

Marie groaned against as another three hundred life points were drained from her, and she grit her teeth.

"And that's not all you're going to lose. In fact, your pain is just beginning! Byser Shock, attack her directly!"

The Byser Shock began to twitch, and a massive bolt of lightning struck from the small machine like creature, and struck Marie. She screamed a little bit at this, smoke rising from her being and she fell to her knees, panting at this point.

**(Marie: 4,400) - - - - - - - (Philip: 4,900)**

"Marie!" Falco shouted, leaning over the railing. "Come on baby, don't give up now!"

"Don't…plan…on…it…" She chattered, standing up very slowly.

Philip was a giggling mess at this point. "Now then…I'll set this card facedown, and end my turn!"

Unbeknownst to her, Philip was smirking, darkly, the shadows hiding his face as he thought and planned.

_Heh, heh, heh…that card in her hand must be the one I planted in her deck…if she dares play it…_

…_Then her death is at hand…_He laughed in his mind.

Marie drew her card and looked at it. She looked at the other five cards in her hand, and nodded. Adding the new card to her hand, she took another card and slid it into her field spell, exclaiming, "I think it's time for a change of scenery! How about a good old fashioned fight in the Amazoness Arena!"

The entire arena began to fight and shake and shudder, and suddenly a massive mechanism appeared on either side of the duelists.

The entire crowd was in an uproar. "What is going on?"

"What IS that thing?"

"It's huge!"

"Whoa! It's a cage!" Joey was the one to exclaim this, his eyes wide and bright.

"Very good, I was hoping the mutt would know what a cage is." Kaiba said with a smirk. Joey growled and gripped the railing tighter. Yugi just grinned and made sure Joey didn't take a swing at the rich duelist.

Indeed it was a cage, and a rather impressive shaped one at that. The entire thing took up the entire dueling arena and then some. It was girded, and looked very imposing.

"Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Marie laughed as she threw a punch, flexing her muscles. "Now we're in MY Element! And…why are you laughing?"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" Philip was indeed laughing, and Marie, nor did anyone else in the audience, liked it. He looked totally out of his mind. "I was waiting for you to play that card…for it gives me the perfect moment to play this!"

He threw a hand out, and his facedown card flipped up.

"Left Arm Offering, by discarding my entire hand to the graveyard," he said, doing so with his final card in his hand, "I'm allowed to take any card I want from my deck and add it to my hand!"

He took his card, and stared at the Monster Reborn. He smirked and grinned a very sinister grin.

Yugi and Kaiba were both watching intently, and both eyes narrowed very deeply. "I don't like this." Kaiba said aloud. "It's way too familiar…"

"I know Kaiba," Yugi said, frowning as his Purple eyes stared at the single card in Philips hand.

"There's a good reason for that…because I lived it."

Marie smirked. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, but I'm not going to fall for it! My Amazoness Arena not only gives us an additional 600 Life Points, but…well, how about I show you?" She asked with a grin. "I play the spell card, Amazonian Burial Rights!"

The equip spell appeared on the field in front of her.

"By discarding one card in my hand, I can special summon an Amazoness Monster from my graveyard!"

She discarded another card in her hand, and Amazoness Paladin appeared in front of her, narrowing her eyes at Philip. (1,700/300) --- (1,800/300)

"Attack his Byser Shock!" she shouted, throwing a hand forward.

The Amazoness flew forward, and slammed her sword in the Fiend. It exploded into pixels.

Suddenly, Marie began to glow with a bright blue light, while Philip glowed pure black.

"And now my Amazoness Arena starts!" She said with a smile. "I can pay 100 Life Points to deal YOU 100 Life Points of damage, but you can deal me 100 Life Points in return…"

"Wow, really?" Michael asked, sounding very disappointed. "That's it? I was hoping for something a little better…"

"Oh, but it's better than that." Marie smiled. "Rather than just dealing the damage we would receive, our SOULS battle!"

She grinned as a ghostly apparition of herself appeared in front of her, throwing a few punches…

But the entire audience gasped, and a few even screamed at what came out of Philip. It wasn't human like in the very least. Rather it looked like an enormous buzzard or raven, with long mottled wings covered in rusted bronze plates and jagged knifelike claws. The apparition's head twitched grotesquely to one side peering at Marie with burning red eyes before giving a hoarse caw that shook the arena.

Marie was stunned, but shook her head, and the souls went into battle.

Marie threw a punch at the massive raven-like creature, but all it did was strike the dark feathers, and didn't even leave a dent. The raven, on the other hand, swung its talon and tore into her chest. She and her spirit screamed in agony.

"MARIE!" Falco screamed in horror, his eyes wide. Marie's friend's eyes were wide in horror, and were right beside him, screaming her name.

When the Spirits came back to the respective bodies, Philip was cackling and smirking, and Marie looked down. There was a massive shirt going across her shirt.

"What the hell?!" She screamed in horror, checking for blood. Luckily, there was none…yet.

Philip smirked, shaking his head. "I've yet to divulge that information just yet, dear." He cooed softly. "In the mean time, I suggest you prepare yourself for the massive hurt you're in for…"

**(Marie: 4,800) - - - - - - - (Philip: 4,400)**

Marie didn't like that, but neither did Jason, her brother. His eyes were wide in the crowd, and he was pale.

He thought he was just dreaming that…horrible thing…

…

_Jason mumbled softly as he laid in his bed, the only sound emanating from the young thing was his snores and small grunts. He was in such a peaceful sleep, and all of that was thanks to the dream of his killing his sister in some other horrible way or another._

_He was so dead asleep, however, he didn't even notice the odd looking creature that flew through his window. Like a large, black vulture or maybe even a raven or some other bird of prey. It did a quick spin around the room, its ruby red eyes focused on the boy._

_It swooped down, its talons out and gleaming in the lazy moon light that entered through his window, and it's talon's thrusted into his chest, but it didn't PIERCE the skin, but rather…went through the skin and grasped onto something else._

_With a good grip on the object of question, it began to flap its wings with as much strength as he could muster, in it's talon a throbbing, dark, murky ball of energy…_

_Finally, with a final tug of its talons, its prey was now free, and it flew out the window, clutching the purple orb in its talons as it flew into the moon, and vanished._

_All Jason did was mumble and turn over in his sleep._

…

"Jason?" Marie's mother asked Jason, putting her hand to his forehead. "Jason, honey? Are you okay? You don't look too good…"

"Mom! Marie's…Marie's in trouble; someone needs to stop the duel!"

"Honey…" She began.

"Someone stop! It's gonna kill her!"

Marie didn't like that. She looked at her hand and slid another card in. "I set one more card facedown and end my turn."

Philip drew his card, and looked at it. He smirked and showed her the spell card, Monster Reborn. "Now I shall summon to the field your destruction…"

"Please, you have nothing in your graveyard that can scare me…"

"Oh don't I?" he asked with a smirk, "Remember the card I discarded with Vampiric Leech…?"

Marie blinked a bit, and took a step back. "Well…nothing you summon can make me scare me; me and my Amazon's will take it on head on!" She exclaimed.

"Oh, are you sure?" he smirked at her. "Then how about we test that little theory and bring out the monster specially designed to destroy you…" He said taking a card from his discard slot and setting it onto his tray. At the same time Jason suddenly stopped and held his chest feeling a strange pain lance through his heart, like there was an aching hole inside him that was reacting to something…

Of all the beasts Phillip had summoned so far in a strange way this new monster was the most grotesque, it began as a puddle of filthy water that grew in size until it was three feet in diameter. Then a lanky figure began to crawl out of the small grotto black sludge and mud dripping off the tattered uniform of a Vietnamese soldier. The thing was humanoid and resembled nothing less then a freshly reanimated soldier dragged up from his watery grave. Its face was hidden in the shadow cast by its wide brimmed straw hat and it leaned on a broken rifle with a rusty bayonet still attached wheezing through inhumanly large teeth fixed in a macabre grin.

"Allow me to introduce you to the star of today's duel, a card I prepared JUST for your demise, the Grudge Ghoul!" Phillip said sweeping out an arm dramatically as the ghoul lifted up its battered rifle with a burbling wheeze mud dribbling between its teeth as it brandished the weapon at Marie.

(1,700/1,000)

Marie, on the other hand, found nothing horrifying about the whole ordeal. In fact, she was grinning and laughing. "You had me worried about THAT?" She laughed. "My amazoness is STILL stronger!"

"Not for long she's not." Philip said ominously, "Grudge Ghoul, attack her Amazoness Paladin!"

Rather than reach for the bayonet on its side, all the Grudge Ghoul did was open its mouth slowly, the sound of a rusty sounding machine moving itself and shot a torrent of water from its maw. The Paladin gurgled and choked under the massive amounts of water being forced upon her, but rather than explode into pixels, she vanished into the murky depths.

Before Marie had a chance to ask what had happened, they both began to glow again, and both of their spirits floated into the air, one of them being the broken raven and the other the warrior.

The Raven made the first move and struck her with its talons, slicing a large gash in her arm. In retaliation, she threw a kick at its beak, but it didn't even phase it.

The spirits returned, and Marie grunted as she grasped the gash on her arm as blood began to pour out of it. She tried to shake it off and stood up again.

The Spirit molded back into Philips body, and suddenly he began to cackle. "Yes! I haven't had this much fun since I destroyed that Valentine girl!" He laughed.

The three pro duelist's eyes opened immediately. "Did he just say…?" Joey asked.

"He did." Kaiba narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"I can't believe I didn't see it sooner!" Yugi shouted and raced over to the railing, gripping it until his knuckles turn white. "Stop hiding yourself like a coward and reveal yourself for the monster you know you are, Philip! Or should I say…

"…Yami Marik!"

There was dead silence, one that sounded like you could head a pin fall down a flight of stairs and hear every echoing ping it would make. Suddenly, Philip howled with laughter, throwing his head back…

And began to transform.

His once pale skin began to tan and tan until he was a good golden brown in color, his brown, straight hair shooting up as if a wind current had caught it, and turned into a pure white color. His ensemble began to morph and turn into a large purple collared cape, that exploded from behind him. His dull eyes erupted into small beady eyes of lunacy, and veins erupted on his face. The eye of Wdjat appeared on his head, and he laughed even louder.

Yami Marik had risen again.

"MARIK!" Yugi and Joey both shouted. Kaiba's eyes widened quite intensely, but he narrowed his eyes dangerous.

Yami Marik however, had stopped his howling laughter and dropped his arms to the side, his face lit up with an insane grin. "Ahh…This world is such a change from the Shadow Realm…there's actually people here who will scream when I torture them."

Kaiba however, acted quickly. He began to talk into his collar. "Get me security. Immediately," he ordered.

Yami Marik seemed to have heard this, and shot both of his hands out at either side of him, and closed his eyes, mumbling under his breath, as if he were chanting. As soon as he was done with the chanting, he opened his eyes in a flared sense of insanity, and the ground below him cracked open, webbing from him and out to the rest of the arena.

Much to the horror of the rest of the tournament goers, something black, tar like and something all around unholy began to seep from the very cracks themselves, bubbling up from the very ground it seemed. The black tar-like mass move up into the air, and seemed entirely made of black bubbles, filled with an incandescent light. The living substance began to move above the crow. The people under them began to scream.

"How familiar with the Shoggoths are you, you three?" He asked, giggling as he peered over at the three legendary duelists, his ever white teeth gleaming in the disappearing sun as the creature began to blot out the very sun itself. "It's somewhat of a lapdog, and only those with great power can summon them.

"They have infinite uses too…Say I wanted to rip the skin off of everyone in this stadium…"

"Slimy spineless no-good son of a-" Joey snarled barely being held back by Kaiba. "You haven't changed a bit have you ya Freudian reject?"

"Clamp a muzzle on yourself Wheeler," Kaiba hissed yet without his usual rancor, he was clearly just as enraged as Joey was at the idea of Yami Marik holding a stadium full of innocent people hostage. "You and I BOTH know this is out of our hands, we're duelists not warriors, unless you've got holy water or silver bullets or whatever the hell that thing is vulnerable to stashed away in that hair of yours I suggest you back down and let me do the talking, Its not the first time I've dealt with a lunatic like this." Kaiba said before turning to face the madman, who was, disturbingly enough sitting on an extended tendril coming from the main body of the Shoggoth the entire monstrosity gurgling wetly. "Fine, what are your demands Marik? I doubt your here just because you ran out of spray starch for that ridiculous hair do of yours." He spat out.

Yami Marik sneered and put a hand over his chest as if he had been wounded. "How cruel Kaiba, what way is that to treat an old friend? Why just think of all the good times we had back in Battle City, I'm hurt." He said his eyes gleaming with demented enjoyment.

"GOOD TIMES?! YOU TRIED TO KIDNAP MY SISTER, BRAINWASHED ME INTO TRYING TO KILL MY BEST FRIEND AND SENT MY WIFE TO THE SHADOW REALM AND CALL THAT 'GOOD TIMES'?!? I'LL KILL YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Joey roared at the top of his lungs, before Kaiba could stop him he made a dash at Yami Marik getting within inches of the arena's border.

"The more things change..." Yami Marik said rolling his eyes before his left hand twitched. Joey's expression changed from incredible rage to shock and pain as the Shoggoth suddenly launched a filthy tentacle at him with the force of a cannonball, smacking him into the wall hard enough to make him cough up blood, enough to suggest at least one injured organ or broken bone. Yugi and Falco screamed Joey's name.

For the first time a look of real anger appeared in Kaiba's eyes, he might not respect Joey much more then a common street thug, but he wasn't a monster like Gozoboro had been. "ENOUGH MARIK! What is it you want; I refuse to let you hurt anymore people at MY tournament!" He barked.

"Oh yes, I was so caught up in little Wheeler's 'heroic' exploits I forgot I have a little bit of business at hand, silly me." He said cackling a bit. "My demands are actually rather simple, the tournament will continue as originally planned, there will be no changes to the match ups, rules OR the present spectators, everyone here is here to STAY so sorry boys and girls but until someone here is crowned champion there's only one exit, the freedom of the grave." He purred before breaking into hideous laughter that echoed across the stadium. "Now then," He turned back towards Marie licking his lips like a wolf cornering an injured lamb. "I believe I have a duel to win."

**(Marie: 4,700) - - - - - - - (Marik: 4,100)**

"And now we turn to my Grudge Ghouls special effect," Marik said conversationally as his Fiend began to glow. "See, he can't be destroyed in battle, nor can he destroy cards in battle. However, as a result of this draw back, the monster he just attacked is sent to the bottom of your deck, and he gains 500 Attack Points."

(2,200/1,000)

"Now then," He purred to her, "How about you try and get past your brothers very hatred?"

Marie's eyes widened and she looked over at Jason in the middle of the audience, who looked equally shocked.

_My brother's hatred…?_ She thought to herself as she drew her card quickly. _He can't possibly mean…no! It couldn't! Though…I suppose I can't rule it out, my opponent just morphed into a completely different person…I suppose anything is possible._

She looked at her hand and frowned. There was almost nothing she could do, nothing that would activate The Arena, and she didn't exactly want to lose the duel, because of Blood Loss anyway…

She set one card, and a vertical card appeared before her, and she stated, "I set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Yami Marik drew his card and looked at it. He flipped it around and smirked, showing the image of a Marauding Captain striking an Inpachi, "I activate the card Double Attack!"

He discarded a Lava Golem from his hand to the graveyard, and the Grudge Ghoul began to gurgle loudly, spitting out some filthy water from its maw.

"Now by discarding a card with a higher level than my selected monster, it can attack directly! I believe I have this duel wrapped up…" he grinned, his eyes wide, "Grudge Ghoul, attack her directly!"

As the Grudge Ghoul began to inhale his next attack, she threw a hand up and her facedown flipped up. "I activate my facedown card, Defend from Defeat!" She shouted, "With this card, by removing one Monster in my graveyard from play, I can lessen that damage by the removed cards Attack Points!"

She quickly pulled out Amazoness Paladin, and the Spirit appeared before her. The Grudge Ghoul released his wave of water, but the Spirit of Amazoness Paladin took most of the blow. Marie wiped away the water and smiled at the Amazoness Paladin, who nodded at her before she vanished into shimmering pixels.

"Yes, but will that little trick work against the second attack?" Marik sneered, "Second Attack, Grudge Ghoul, drown her!"

The Grudge Ghoul released his second wave of dirty, foul smelling water and struck Marie, washing her away and pushing her against the hard ground, coughing and hacking up a near kidney as the waters receded, and she rose up again. Shaking herself off as best she could, she picked up her hand.

"That was….extremely unpleasant," She coughed.

**(Marie: 2,000) - - - - - - - (Yami Marik: 4,100)**

Marik crossed his arms and frowned. "You're a resilient one," he said, "I think your soul will be one of the good ones, I end my turn."

Marie drew her card and stared at it. _Hey…I think I got an interesting idea…_

"I special summon Amazoness Assassin in Attack Mode!"

A cloaked figure appeared in front of her, currently crouched down as if anticipating an attack. In her hands was a pair of daggers, which she spun around and grabbed at the handle again. (600/200)

"And don't worry, despite the name, I can't destroy cards or anything of the like," Marie giggled, "Rather, Amazoness assassin is the quiet, swift types. Since I special summoned her, you're allowed to summon a Monster from your graveyard in Attack Mode."

Yami Marik said nothing as Granadora appeared in front of her. He glowed a yellow light as Granadora healed him.

"And then, I'll offer my Amazoness Assassin for something with a little bit more substance, The Amazoness Battle Guard!"

The Amazoness that took its place was much bigger and muscular, with long brown hair tied up in a tight pony tail. In her hand was a large, double bladed staff with a long curved blade on either side. (2,100/1,200)

Without much more explanation, she pointed a hand forward and shouted, "Attack Granadora with Amazoness Bludgeoning!"

The Amazoness let loose a loud snarl and raced forward, spinning the twin bladed spear in her hand before she did a single swing of her blade. Granadora screeched in agony and exploded into pixels.

Marik winced his eyes as the first battle damage was inflicted to him, followed by the effect of Granadora. He then began to glow another darker red aura, and growled.

"And just what did you do?" He growled to her.

"Simple," Marie said, putting a single hand on her hip and smirking, "Since my Amazoness Battle Guard defeated a monster as a result of battle, you now lose two hundred Life Points equal to its Level.

Nothing was said, only that their spirit forms, the blue fighting spirit, and the Black Raven rose into the air. The Amazoness swung her fist at the beak, and like before, nothing was done. The Raven sliced at her stomach, and both Marie and the Spirit screamed loudly in agony as a large torrent of blood was released from her now large gash in her stomach, and she fell to her knees, coughing blood up weakly.

"MARIE!" Falco screamed, about to leap over the very railing to get to Marie but was stopped by Yugi, "Let me go, he's hurting her! Please, make him stop; he's going to kill her!"

Yugi had been through this before, watching someone he too care about being struck down by the magic that Marik had initiated, and even after all this time, it didn't make it any easier. Both he and Kaiba were glaring down at Marik, who was cackling with glee as Marie coughed up a rather impressive mouthful of blood, shaking and growing paler.

"Are you ready to give up, you simple girl?" He laughed, staring directly at her as the spirits joined their bodies once more, and Marie was holding her stomach, in fear that her innards would fall out if she didn't. "If you continue this, then I shall simply kill you. No questions asked, and your blood will splatter the arena, and it shall be your own doing for playing the cursed arena which you thought would work," A toothy grin crossed his vein face, "you will die if you do not surrender now…"

Marie was groaning. She needed medical attention; anyone could see that this was the farthest thing from a game now. A horrible monster was circling the arena the two of them were playing in, threatening to render the very flesh of the patrons, whose only sin was choosing a side in this game, and if she did, maybe…maybe she wouldn't die…

Her hand drifted to her deck, when suddenly, a tearful cry from the audience, one that belonged to her brother.

"Marie, don't quit on me now!"

She looked over at her little brother, the very person who had wanted her dead on numerous occasions, who had insulted her, wished her existence be moot, wished for everything that could go wrong WOULD go wrong with her, and a small dribble of blood began to dribble down her chin, her eyes losing focus.

"Marie, you're stronger than this! I know…I know I've always been a lousy, no good bastard when it came to you but…there was something festering in me…" He looked over at the side of the gurgling form of the Grudge Ghoul, and took a deeper breath, "But I know now that I was wrong, I was wrong in every sense! You're my sister, and despite the fact mom always looked to you…YOU always cared about me, you treated me right, and I was a fool for not believing in you from the very start! My jealousy was just…" He didn't finish the sentence.

Marie smiled a very weak smile. "Jason…" She whispered weakly.

"And I know you have it in you to beat this monster, I know it, your boyfriend knows it and all your friends know it! This isn't meant to sound as cheesy as it did but…come on sis, beat this bastard!"

Marie and the rest of the crowd was silent, and suddenly, the weak, bleeding girl managed one of her tomboyish smirks, the ones that made her so well known around the group of friends she had collected, and said a simple phrase to Marik, which made him blink in shock.

"Bring it on, you son of a bitch."

**(Marie: 1,800) - - - - - - - (Marik: 1,200)**

She shakily slid one final card into her disk, and it appeared behind the Amazoness Battle Guard, who looked far more ready to battle than ever before.

"I'll set this card facedown…and end my turn."

Marik snarled and drew his card, his purple cape flickering in the fake wind he created and looked at it. "I'll make you pay for not giving up when you had the chance girl, you could have ended this painlessly but now…" he sneered at her, "I believe hearing your screams of agony will fill my pallet for now…"

"I play the spell card, Magical Planter. By discarding my Coffin Seller, I can now draw an additional two cards!"

The Coffin Seller exploded into pixels, and he snatched the top two cards off of his deck, looking at them and added them to his hand. "Grudge Ghoul, send her Battle Guard to the depths of the black abyss!"

The Grudge Ghoul inhaled deeply and released the torrent of the foul, nauseating green and black murky water at the Amazoness. She attempted to fight against the current, but ultimately fell to her doom in the bottomless sea of darkness.

Marie, however, seemed to be ready this time as he obviously beaten and battered spirit floated from her body, as did the horrible black raven from Marik, and both flew into battle. This time, she avoided the talon altogether by ducking under the sweeping claw, and kicked the beast in the chest. Once more, no visible damage was done, but this time, the beak of the giant bird of prey came down and clocked her in the center of her forehead, causing an impressive half dollar sized hole to appear in her flesh.

The spirits floated back, and Marie smirked at her opponent, the blood now dribbling out of the hole and down her nose, making sure it didn't get into her eyes. "Is that all you got?" She laughed, spitting out another small amount of blood and grinned at him, "My boyfriends Harpie Girl attacks hurt more than that…"

Marik, however, didn't seem bothered by this, crossing his arms. His Grudge Ghoul rose to a total attack of 2,700, and it seemed to grow more, and the horrible stench of rotting flesh and murky water continued to waft into the air.

_Just a matter of time. _He thought to himself, a small smirk curving his lips, _and then the true darkness shall cover the earth…_

Marie drew her card slowly, still aching from her gashes and coughed again. She now had a throbbing headache from the small hole in her forehead. When she saw what it was, she laughed softly and smiled.

"I play…Monster Reborn," She whispered, "to bring back my Amazoness Assassin…"

The Cloaked Amazoness appeared before her, crouching down as she spun the blades around in her hand, and narrowed her eyes at Marie.

"Then…I sacrifice her…for…Freed, the Matchless General…"

The Amazoness closed her eyes and accepted her fate, as a sparkling veil of light fell upon her. From the light, however, stepped the Matchless General himself, looking back at Marie, and she could have sworn, it was her father the whole time. (2,300/1,700)

She felt some of her strength slowly starting to return, and much to her own shock, she was glowing with a shimmering, golden color. She looked down at herself in shock, and watched as the gashes in her arm and stomach, along with the gaping hole in her forehead from the beak attack. She tilted her head back as the cuts began to heal themselves, and she gasped. She now looked new, better than new!

Falcos eyes widened, as did Yugi's. "She always said that card was special…" Falco whispered, relieved more than he ever had been in his life before, slumping over the railing, now that Yugi had let go of him. "But…I never really…believed it could do that…"

"It's funny, what cards do," Yugi said with a small, ironic smile on his face, "The ones closest to us can always surprise us…and even do magical things…"

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Still believe in that hocus pocus, BS Yugi? Hm, and here I thought you would have grown up."

Marik smirked. "So you healed a few injuries, I still fail to see how you attempt to defeat my Grudge Ghoul, with his effect and extra power, nothing in your deck could have a hope in the world to defeat it."

Marie chuckled as she stood up, feeling completely better compared to earlier. "And that is where you're wrong," Marie said with a smirk, "I remember a while ago my little brother Jason, when we were little kids, gave me a single card, hoping one day I would use it. And I figured, before the duel and earlier this morning…" She turned her head and gave her little brother a small smile. "I think it's time to see how it'll really do."

Jason gave her a small smile in return, and knew that deep, deep down in him, that despite all the torture, all the drama, all the horrible things that he had put his sister through, and even if she didn't forgive him…

Everything would be all right.

"First though, I equip Freed with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade to give him some more energy!"

The simple, silver blade disappeared from Freed's hand and in its place appeared a long, samurai blade with a tattered cloth hilt. A loud demonic cackle was heard, and purple-black beams of energy began to encircle it, something of a dark, unholy thing. However, with Freed, the holy energies and the unholy creature in the sword evened the other out. He rose to a total attack of 3,100.

"And then…to complete it…I equip Freed with Rainbow Veil!"

Freed extended his arms out to the side of him as a blinding flash of light erupted around him. When the light died down, Freed was floating there, but for some unknown reason, his skin and armor were quickly flashing and melding together the various colors of the rainbow, in a very chaotic fashion.

"Freed, attack The Grudge Ghoul!" Marie commanded, throwing a hand forward and shocking all of the bystanders.

Freed rushed the Water Fiend, his sword out and swung it. Much to everyone's surprise, the Grudge Ghoul didn't send Freed to an early watery grave, but instead, his beady, watery eyes bulged out of their sockets and he shrieked a completely inhuman shriek. He swelled and swelled and swelled until finally—

He popped like a cheap water balloon, showering the field and audience in foul water. There was an initial gagging of course, but what really made it amazing was the Grudge Ghoul was gone and was gone for good.

Marik's eyes were wide in horror and shock. "But…my monster…how…"

Marie was feeling very cocky at this point. Freed jumped back to her side of the field, flickering his sword about and sheathing it instantly, explaining, "When my monster that's equipped with Rainbow Veil attacks a monster, for the rest of the battle phase, those effects are negated! So now your monster could be destroyed in battle, but it wouldn't cost me Freed!"

Marik was speechless, and finally, his beady eyes narrowed very dangerously at the young girl, and he gripped a fist tightly. "You dare make a mockery of me…" He hissed, his eyes flaring dangerously, "I'll make you suffer for eons…"

"Oh, I'm shaking," Marie said, shivering visibly as she rolled her eyes, and both of them began to glow, "I believe I have some personal business to deal with you now…" She said as her spirit appeared in front of her.

"I'll peck your heart out and devour it…" Marik said simply, his voice filled with Malice as the Raven appeared in front of him and cawed out in anger and rage. Flapping his wings, and managing to lose a few feathers in the mean time, he flew forward, shrieking all the while. Marie rushed forward to meet the attack.

More shock occurred in this battle, as Marie threw a punch and this time when it connected, it twisted the demon birds head around at nearly a ninety degree angle. Shrieking in pain, it pecked her chest, wanting to rip out her still beating heart, when it connected with something that felt of metal! Shrieking again, he flew back into Marik's body, while Maries did the same. His eyes were wide, and he touched his lips. Sure enough, there was a small sliver of blood dripping down.

His eyes were wide still as he stared at the blood spot on the tip of his finger, and his eyes focused on Marie again. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "And now, you die."

He drew his card quickly and stared at it. He slid it in, and much to Maries shock and horror, a hellish creature, like that of a machine, made up of screws and drills, rusty and new, all in all, it was truly a nightmarish creature, any that would frighten anyone. (1,600/1,600)

Marik spoke only two words as he pointed a finger at the brunette, and it still sent shivers down her back. "Kill her."

Drillago rushed forward, its drills spinning at maximum speed as it dashed past Freed, much to his own shock, and watched in horror as Drillago gored Marie with its right arm drill. An ear splitting scream was heard as Marie fell over again, paler than ever, a large hole in her stomach.

"Hm," Marik smirked softly, "I believe I won."

**(Marie: 0) - - - - - - - (Marik: 700)**

"MARIE!" Falco screamed in horror as he pushed Yugi away from him and raced over to his girlfriend, pushing away anything that would get in his way and scooped her into his arms. "Marie! Marie, speak to me!" he cried.

"Fa…l…co…" She gasped, reaching out to him. Freed had begun to heal Marie all ready, but could do no more as he began to vanish, healing her more than halfway, thankfully.

"And now…your soul belongs to the shadows," Marik cackled, and Marie suddenly gasped and flexed everything. She fell over, and slumped over, the light in her eyes gone. She was still alive, thankfully, but just barely.

"Get her to the E.R, NOW." Kaiba ordered the head of Security immediately, pointing a finger to the unconscious, soulless girl.

Jason watched in horror as they put his sister on a stretcher and carted her away, his eyes wide in shock and horror as the man known as Marik smirked and laughed at his handiwork. He closed his eyes and screamed his sister's name.

Nothing would ever be the same.

…

**Vampiric Leech  
Type**: Insect/Effect/Earth  
**Attack/Defense**: 500/1,200  
**Effect**: This card may attack on the same turn it is summoned, even if it is the first turn of the duel. Discard one card from your hand to change the battle position of this card at the end of the turn that this card inflicted Battle Damage.

**Nightmare Mirror  
Type**: Trap  
**Image**: A Pair of fiendish claws holding up a dark mirror.  
**Effect**: Activate only when your opponent declares an attack. Discard one card from your hand. Negate the attack and deal 1,000 Points of Damage to your opponent.

**Left Arm Offering**  
**Type**: Trap  
**Image**: A man reaching for a treasure chest while another prepares to cut off his left arm.  
**Effect**: Discard all cards in your hand. Select one Spell from your deck and add it to your hand.

**Card of Last Will  
Type**: Quick Play Spell  
**Image**: A hand holding five cards sticking out of an open grave.  
**Effect**: Activate only when you have no cards in your hand and your opponent declares an attack. Draw five cards.

_Note: These four cards were first used by Yami Marik at various times in the anime. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**Amazoness Arena  
Type**: Field Spell  
**Image**: Amazoness Swords Woman standing under a large, grid cage.  
**Effect**: When this card is played, both players gain 600 Life Points. After two monsters engage in battle, each player can pay 100 Life Points to deal 100 points of damage to the opponent.

_Note: "Amazoness Arena" was first used by Taniya in the Yugioh GX Episode "Duel Distractions Part 2" All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**Grudge Ghoul  
Type**: Fiend/Effect/Water  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,700/1,000  
**Stars**: 8  
**Effect**: This card cannot be destroyed as a result of Battle. This card cannot destroy cards as a result of battle. Any monster that battles with this monster is sent to the bottom of its owners Deck. This card gains 500 ATK for each time this effect is activated.

_Note: "Grudge Ghoul" Was created by Metal Overlord 2.0. All creative credit goes to him._

**Amazoness Assassin  
Type**: Warrior/Effect/Earth  
**Attack/Defense**: 600/200  
**Stars**: 3  
**Effect**: If your opponent has more monsters on the field than you do, you may Special Summon this card. If you use this effect, your opponent may Special Summon one monster from their graveyard.

**Amazoness Battle Guard  
Type**: Warrior/Effect/Earth  
**Attack/Defense**: 2,100/1,200  
**Stars**: 6  
**Effect**: This card can only be summoned by offering an "Amazoness" monster on your side of the field. When this card destroys an opponent's monster as a result of battle, deal Damage to your opponents Life Points equal to the destroyed monsters Level X 200.

**Defend from Defeat  
Type**: Trap  
**Image**: A ghostly image of Six Samurai Nisashi leaping in front of the duelist from Heart of the Underdog as a massive fireball reaches him.  
**Effect**: You may only activate this card when your opponent declares a Direct Attack on your Life Points. Remove from play one monster in your Graveyard with less than 2,000 ATK. During this battle, reduce the damage done to your Life Points by the removed from plays Monsters ATK.

And so a dark shadow lingers over the very tournament. Everyone is not being held hostage, and a friend has been lost. Next up, Falco's going up against his own Father, but with his recent loss, does he have what it takes to make it through the rest of the tournament? "Father vs. Son, The Lineage Duel" is coming up soon, and get ready folks; I think this fic is turning into a darker theme…


	16. Father vs Son, The Lineage Duel

Disclaimer: I'm baaaaaaaack! Sorry all, I had computer issues, and I'm in England with Claire! I'm having a BALL, and I'm finding time to write my chapters!

…

The Kaiba Corp Grand Prix had taken a dark turn in the past few days since it had started.

The cause of it all, of course, the appearance of one of Yugi's most horrible opponents, the dreaded Yami Marik.

Marik, watching as they carted away the dying Marie, cackled and tilted his head back, holding his hands to the side, his eyes wide and beady. "It feels so good to be amongst the living again, to spread my fear, terror and might over the land! Oh, and speaking of might or lack thereof…"

He spun around and caught a charging Falco in his grasp, lifting him up by his shirt, despite all he did and all he struggled; he couldn't get away from the spirits iron grip on his clothing.

"Didn't your father ever teach you not to interrupt anyone in the middle of their villainous dialogue? Oh, such manners, Wheeler, what have you been teaching your children?" he laughed at the blonde haired duelist, who looked about ready looked plenty angry himself.

"Marik…" he growled, as he glared at the villain himself, "Give me a reason I shouldn't walk over there and kick your butt right here and now…"

Marik tilted his head to the side, curiously. "Really Wheeler, you want some reasons. Very well then, reason number one, I have your son, your own flesh and blood in my hand, and with a real quick jerk, can make you childless. Second of all, the giant, swirling minions of the Elder Ones are holding this entire arena hostage. If you take so much as one step out of line, the deaths of hundreds hang on your shoulders."

Joey had to stop and pause at that. He needed to calm down, for the sake of his son and the other people in the arena. He took a step back, but that didn't stop him from frowning and glaring at one of his sworn enemies.

Marik, having calmed down the raging Wheeler, cackled and threw the younger man to the side of the arena like a piece of garbage. "I believe my glorious return has shaken some people, I'll let the next duelists have their own match."

He hopped off the arena and passed a growling Kaiba and a glaring Yugi. He paused when he walked in front of Yugi, and turned to face his rival. "It's been far too long, young one."

"I don't know how you got back," Yugi said as calmly as he could, without letting his emotions get the best of him, "But I'm not going to let you get away with it, I'm going to send you back to hell where you belong."

"I fail to see how you'll do that Yugi," Marik said, his voice horrifically calm for a demon such as himself, "Especially since my power surpasses what I used to be when we met previously. It will truly be a miracle if someone like you manages to defeat me again, because remember…" he flashed his white teeth at the tri colored haired duelist, "You have no Pharaoh to bail you out of any trouble this time."

"I don't need the Pharaoh to take care of you, Marik," he said, his violet eyes narrowing dangerously at the tan skinned monster, "And when we duel, I'll show you that first hand."

"It's a duel I look forward too, little one," another toothy grin at the King of games, "A duel I look forward to destroying you in…"

"How do you know you won't duel me?" Kaiba interjected, crossing his arms over his chest.

Marik looked at him, and his grin turned into an open mouth, mocking laugh that made Kaiba's eye twitch. "You, duel me?" he laughed. "I have a very strong feeling that the pipsqueak here is going to take care of you before you even get within spitting distance of dueling me…"

"Why you—"Kaiba began, turning to face him and potentially punch him.

"Ah, ah, Kaiba," Marik cooed, wagging his finger at him. "Remember our deal, nothing shall happen to me, the tournament goes on as planned and nothing out of the ordinary, otherwise a blood bath shall stain those tail coats of yours."

Kaiba snarled, baring his teeth and gripping his fists tight, taking everything to keep from striking the spirit before him.

"Though I can understand how you feel right now. Alone, inadequate…second place…"

"Kaiba…" Yugi said as he tried to keep the CEO's anger down.

"I suppose I too would be mad if I lost every duel I ever had to a teenager," he shrugged. "But that's just you, I suppose." And with a cackling laugh, walked down the hallway, his purple cape fluttering behind him.

Kaiba, still seething with rage, spun around and kicked an approaching Joey in the shin. Crying out, the blonde fell to his knees, rubbing his now sore leg. "What da heck was dat for!?"

"Shut up, Wheeler."

…

"Against our better wishes, the tournament shall commence as scheduled." Roland said, wiping his brow nervously as he eyed the writhing, slimy looking creatures that slid the air like snakes, "I just need to ask everyone to please remain in your seats, remain calm, and don't panic, the creatures around you will not harm you unless motivated."

"Or unless I tell them to," Marik shouted, giggling a bit afterwards.

"Or after he says so, yes," Roland said with a nod, and the screen was lifted into the air behind him. "So let's see who our next duelists are going to be this time."

The screen began to flash as the faces of the six remaining duelists flashed in rapid succession, and finally, the first screen stopped on Joey…and the other stopped on Falco.

"The next duel to commence will be Joey Wheeler and Falco Wheeler!"

"Ya hear that kid?" Joey asked his son, a small grin n his face, despite the circumstances that happened prior to this announcement. "Looks like you're gonna go against your old ma…where'd he go?"

Falco was gone.

…

Falco sat in the infirmary, watching as the doctors, in a panicked stupor, tried to get Marie to stop bleeding, and to fix the gaping hole in her stomach.

Falco, his eyes wide as he watched the delicate medical proceedings, watched as they did all they could for his girlfriend. His hand lifted into a stunned open fingered wave, and his hand delicately pressed it to the window separating the two of them. Her eyes…they were so dead…

_If I lose Marie…I lose everything…I can't lose Marie…_He thought in his head. _I won't lose Marie…and…if I do…I have nothing left to fight for…she could all ready be dead…and…there's…no point anymore…_

"Falco."

The Wheeler turned around, looking at Michael.

"You and you're dad are dueling right now."

"Oh, so we are." He looked to the ground and nodded. "Guess I better get out there…"

He walked past Michael, his eyes and facial expressions dead, his expression completely clear.

"Wish me luck, I suppose."

Michael frowned and sighed. Looking over his shoulder at his comatose looking friend, he scowled and followed his friend.

…

"Let the duel commence!" Roland shouted, then yelped as one of the strange creatures came a little too close for his comfort. "And let's make it snappy people, these things scare me!"

"Let's duel!" Joey shouted enthusiastically, the common Wheeler Grin on his face as his duel disk snapped into place, and he drew his opening hand.

"Yeah, let's duel," Falco said unenthusiastically as he lazily drew his own opening hand. His eyes slid over his contents, and he sighed. "You first dad."

Joey cocked an eyebrow and drew his card. "Not so enthusiastic, are ya kid?" He asked, looking at his hand. "I'll start by playing Little Wing Guard."

A small, cute armored warrior appeared in front of him, his armor a baby blue color, with a pointed helmet, fluttering cape and a small sword. (1,400/1,800)

"I'll set this card facedown, and end my turn, which means my Little Wing Guard gets switched to defense mode as a result of its effect."

Little Wing Guard curled up into a ball, guarding itself with its shield.

Falco looked at his hand. Harpie Lady 1, Summon Storm, Inferno Reckless Summon, Harpie Queen, Harpie Girl, and Harpies' Feather Storm. This was the best hand he thought he EVER got as a duelist. His hand reached for a card in his hand –

_The drill, roaring loudly as the monster itself clanked against the concrete as it rushed past the blonde haired general of war. The drill, still whirling, slammed into Marie's gut, blood and screams filling the arena—_

In a flash of fluttering feathers, Harpie Girl appeared in front of her master, her wings fluttering outward as she glared at her opponent. (500/500)

"Huh?" Yugi blinked.

"Huh?" Falco himself asked.

"What are you planning kid?" Joey asked, cocking an eyebrow in the direction of his son.

"I…I…" he couldn't take his move back, and he gulped. "I…end my turn."

"An…interesting move, to say the least." Yugi said slowly.

Kaiba grinned. "To be expected from a Wheeler."

Joey cocked an eyebrow and drew a card. He immediately placed it on the disk, shouting, "I summon Gearfried, the Iron Knight in Attack Mode!"

With a loud cry of battle, the armored warrior known as Gearfried appeared, holding up the blade on his wrist. (1,800/1,600)

"Now, I switch my Little Wing Guard into attack Position, now Gearfried, cut up that Harpie Girl!"

Gearfried flew forward and sliced at the monster. Harpie Girl shrieked as she exploded into pixels.

"Now Little Wing Guard, attack him directly!"

Little Winged Guard flew forward with his little wings and sliced at Falco, who cried out in shock as he fell over.

**(Joey: 8,000) - - - - - - - (Falco: 5,300)**

"You okay kid?" Joey asked suddenly, noticing that his son wasn't getting up. A look of worry swept over his father's face.

"Yeah…Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine," Falco croaked a little bit, picking himself off of the arena floor, and brushed himself off. "Just…just give me a minute."

"Something's not right," Claire mumbled in worry as she watched her blonde haired friend struggle to get back up, "He's not playing right, he just took a massive hit…that's not like Falco."

Marik, whom was standing in the background, smirked as he watched the show. He knew exactly what was ailing the young man, and a smirk crossed his lips. It seemed, if he wouldn't snap out of it, well, it would seem history would repeat itself…

"Okay kid, if you're sure…" Joey took two cards from his hand and slammed them into his disk, "I'll set these cards facedown, and let you have another shot."

The Little Wing Guard curled up in defense mode again.

Falco drew another card and looked at it. It was Harpies Pet Baby Dragon.

_I can summon five monsters this turn. _Falco thought in his mind, _it's all a matter of how I do it and when I do._

He was about to play the spell card, Summon Storm…

-_Watching the way as the water plowed into her like a raging river, gasping for air as her monsters began to drown in front of her eyes, coughing, gasping, choking, begging for air_-

"Another…interesting move, folks," Roland said after another moment.

Falco blinked. "Huh?" in front of him was Harpie Queen, in Attack mode. (1,900/1,200)

"Well, at least it's got a decent attack score," Michael tried to count it off as a good move.

"I don't know…" Yugi hummed, "From the looks in his eyes, it looks like he was planning something a little bit…more."

"He looks distracted," Claire murmured.

"Eh well…um…" Falco pointed forward. "Harpie Queen, try attack Gearfried!"

The Harpie Queen cried out and leapt into the air, her talons poised and ready to clawing and attacking.

"Come on kid, you gotta try harder than that!" Joey shouted, his first facedown card lifting up, "I chain to Graceful Dice! Now my little buddy here's gonna roll a dice, and my own monsters gonna get a power boost of his own!"

The small teddy bear popped out of the card and threw his blue die. It bounced onto the field…

It landed on a four.

Gearfried rose to 2,200/2,000 and counter attacked the Winged Beast, who screeched in pain before exploding into pixels.

**(Joey: 8,000) - - - - - - - (Falco: 5,000)**

Falco looked down at his hand and gulped. "I….End my turn…" he whispered softly.

Joey cocked an eyebrow and drew his card. Something was wrong with his son…and he was gonna find out what…but first….

"I switch Little Wing Guard into Attack mode…" Little Wing Guard rose to his feet, floating still, "And I'll get down to business, Little Wing Guard, Gearfried, attack him directly!"

Both of the Warriors rushed forward, their blades raised high in the air. Falco screamed as the attack pushed him back, and he fell over onto his back again. He clutched his stomach and his chest in pain, as if the blades had completely cut into him.

**(Joey: 8,000) - - - - - - - (Falco: 1,800)**

Kaiba smirked a little bit, his arms crossed. "Heh, leave it to a Wheeler to make such a rookie mistake, even the old man with the fairy tale would be a better shot at defeating Wheeler here…" He chuckled. "And even then, that's not much of an improvement…"

Joey's eye twitched, and he gripped a fist tightly. He looked over at Kaiba. "Hey, Kaiba, tell me, do you have any kids?" he asked as calmly as he could, which, under any other circumstance, would have been terrifying.

Kaiba blinked, but glared at him in return. "What're you getting at, Wheeler?"

"Answer the question, rich boy. Do, you have, any, kids," he said slowly to him.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes, and yet an eyebrow was cocked in curiosity. "No…" he said just as slowly.

"Ah! Good, then why don't I give you a little bit of advice and BUTT OUT! There's something wrong with my kid, and I'm not about to let some pompous, bowl cut hairdo, spoiled wanna be rich boy insult MY son when I'm right here in front of him! If you really wanna say anything regarding this duel, then SHUT YA MOUTH BEFORE I GO OVER THERE AND SHUT IT FOR YA!"

Deadly silence reigned over the dueling arena, and Kaiba cleared his throat a bit. "Fine, Wheeler, I was done with the insults anyway, seeing as…well, your family kinda does it on their own."

"I suppose that's also why you're sweating," Yugi said with a grin. Kaiba threw a glare in his direction.

"Kid, what's wrong?" Joey asked. "Normally, you're whaling on me at this point! Shoot, at this point you've somehow gotten a little army of monsters going on! What's the deal, kid?"

Falco began to think for a moment, and he bit his lip. "It's…it's nothing dad, I'm just not thinking straight…"

Joey frowned and narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, I can see that kid, any reason why?"

_The look of Horror on Fred's face as blood splattered on his otherwise shining armor, watching as the drill gored into his master-_

"Stop it!" Falco suddenly screamed, grabbing his head and fell to his knees. "Stop it! I don't want to see that anymore! Stop, stop, please!"

"What's wrong kid!?" Falco shouted in worry. What was wrong with his son?

"I can't…I can't stop thinking about it…she's gonna die, dad! Marie's gonna die and it's all his fault!" he pointed an accusatory finger over at the demon in question, who could only grin and cross his arms. "And…and there's something wrong with me…I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop thinking about the pain and the screaming she went through, and it's just…oh god, it hurts!"

"Not as much as it hurt your girlfriend, I'm sure," Marik smirked.

Joey narrowed his eyes a little bit and nodded, in understanding. "I know what you're going through, kid."

Falco whimpered and looked up at his father.

"Yeah, you heard me," he said, "I went through the same thing, if not a bit differently. Dat monster over there, dat exact same bastard took your mother away from me the same way, through a shadow game." He said. "But dere's one thing you need to do if ya ever wanna see her again, kid, and that's to stand up and stop feeling sorry for yaself!"

Falco blinked.

"Ya mother and I never raised a weak little kid! So the first step ta getting ya girlfriend back is to stop feeling sorry for yaself and taking action! If I decided ta just crumple up and accept my loss, then there's a damn good chance you wouldn't be here anymore!"

Falco was slowly rising to his feet.

"What's da motto kid?" Joey asked, a little bit more fiercely.

"Dad…"

"No! What is da motto kid?"

"A…Wheeler never quits…"

"Right!" Joey nodded fiercely. "Now why don't you show me how a Wheeler deals when someone does something to them? Because when you're a Wheeler, ya don't get mad, you get ANGRY! Now show me whatcha got kid!"

And Falco suddenly knew his father was right, and he nodded. He looked down at the ground, a look of determination on his face. His father was right. He had no right feeling sorry for himself. He had no right being a pathetic little thing, dwelling on the past when he knew that deep down, he could fix it himself. He closed his eyes tightly, and he nodded.

"Okay dad…you want my best?" Falco grinned that Wheeler grin up at his father, and put his middle and index finger on the top card of his deck. "Then I'm gonna GIVE you my best! Draw!"

He snatched his card off his deck with renewed vigor.

"DAT a boy!" Joey grinned at his son.

"Man, Joey knows how to pull a pep talk," Yugi commented.

"It's all for nothing, I hope you realize." Kaiba snapped. "Despite being a poor duelist, the Big Wheeler seems to be winning and if he can't do anything…well, it looks like history's going to repeat itself."

Marik, on the other hand, was frowning. The Wheeler boy was strong, he could see. Oh well, should worse come to worse, he'll break him on his own. Until then, the rest was filler. He crossed his arms to watch the duel at hand.

Falco looked at the card in his hand, and grinned. "I play Summon Storm! Now by paying 800 Life points, I'm allowed to Special Summon one Wind Monster from my hand to the field! So here comes Harpie Lady 1!"

A swirling energy appeared in front of him, and with a loud shriek, Harpie Lady 1 appeared, posing and grinned at her previous master's lover. (1,300/1,400)

"And before we go anywhere else, I play the Spell card, Inferno Reckless Summon! Now we both get to Special Summon as many copies of any monster we want on the field!"

"Heh, you know I don't have any other copies of monsters in my deck…" Joey answered.

"Yeah, but I do, and I have plenty! So I'll bring out Harpie Lady 2, 3, and since its name counts as Harpie Lady in the Graveyard, Harpie Queen!"

Beside the first Harpie Lady appeared her siblings and mother, and as they appeared, their powers increased. (1,300/1,400) --- (1,600/1,400) (1,900/1,200) --- (2,200/1,200)

"I'll set this card facedown, and play the spell card, Winged Repayment, by paying 600 Life Points, I can draw a card for every Winged Beast on my side of the field, and I count four."

He drew four cards, and looked them over.

"Only bad part is I can't use any of them."

Falco stared intently at his father's card.

_My dad wouldn't set one dice card without setting the other. That card is more or less likely to be Skull dice, and based on my luck with his cards, I'll lose for sure. Best take the offensive for now._

"I'll end my turn."

**(Joey: 8,000) - - - - - - - (Falco: 400)**

Joey snatched the top card off his disk and grinned. "I special summon da Fiend Megacyber!"

With a loud crash, a warrior in golden, frightening looking armor, wielding a large blade appeared before him. (2,200/1,200)

"And then, I'll summon an oldie but goodie, Blue Flame Swordsman!"

The blue and purple counterpart to Joeys other favorite monster appeared with a roar, his flames burning with fierce intensity. (1,800/1,600)

"And now to start clearing the field!" Joey shouted as Little Wing Guard stood up in Attack Position. "Gearfried, attack Harpie Lady 1!"

Gearfried held his blade up and rushed forward…

"Activate trap card!" Falco exclaimed, pointing to his face down. "Harpie Lady – Sparrow Formation! With three Harpies on my side of the field, I take no damage, and my monsters aren't destroyed!"

Harpie Lady 1, 2, and 3 flew into the air and formed into the burning, bronze sparrow. Gearfried's attack bounced off the three, and flew back to his side of the field.

Joey frowned and looked at his hand. "Kay, so I kinda walked into that one," he said, "I'll put one more card facedown and end my turn."

Falco drew his card. "I summon Harpies Pet Baby Dragon."

Beside the four harpies appeared the cute baby dragon of the otherwise massive dragon. It gave an adorable little chirrup, and glowed. (1,200/600) --- (2,700/1,200)

"And then I play Harpie Lady – Phoenix Formation, which destroys monsters on your side of the field equal to the number of Harpie Lady Monsters on my side of the field, and deals you damage equal to the combined attack!"

Harpie Lady Sisters and their mother rose into the air and formed into the massive, blue phoenix. It dive bombed the four monsters…

Joey held up a hand to block the ensuring explosion, his monsters roaring in pain as the burning hot flames covered them, and blew them apart.

**(Joey: 2,600) - - - - - - - (Falco: 400)**

Falco cocked an eyebrow. "What's up? You should be down to 800 by now…"

"Heh, you should know how my monsters effect works, kid!" Joey grinned. "I just used the same stunt your monster used on me! Check your Harpie Queen!"

Falco glanced over at Harpie Queen, and his eyes widened, seeing they were at 4,000 Attack points!

"See, by using Blue Flame Swordsman's effect, every one of his attack points can be transferred to any monster on the field, any, during either players turn! So when your Spell hit, my monster had 0 Attack points, so I kept the 1,800 life points, and your monster gains every one!"

"And since I used my Phoenix Formation, I have to skip my draw phase," Falco growled, and then grinned. "Heh, should have expected that of you dad."

"Then I play Blue Flame Swordsman OTHER effect, and bring out his older brother, Flame Swordsman!"

The orange and red clothed warrior appeared, holding his blade up proudly. (1,800/1,600)

"Moving onto my next main phase, I'll use my Harpies Pet Baby Dragon's effect, and destroy your Flame Swordsman before you get the chance to use him!"

The Harpies Pet Baby Dragon chirped and shot a blazing fireball at him. Flame Swordsman grunted, flew back and exploded into pixels.

"And just because I'm not exactly trusting of you dad, I'll play Phoenix Tear."

The Spell appeared on the field.

"Now I gain 800 Life Points for every Winged Beast monster on my side of the field."

He glowed with a golden energy, and grinned.

**(Joey: 2,600) - - - - - - - (Falco: 3,600)**

"I end my turn dad."

Falco drew a card and peeked at it. "I play Roll of Fate! Now I'm gonna roll a six sided die, and whateva I roll, I draw dat many cards!"

He threw the dice that appeared in his hand, and watched as it bounced until it landed on a five.

He grinned, and drew the five cards, before he pocketed the next five cards.

"Now I play Pot of Avarice! Now you're gonna see five monsters in my grave really, really soon!"

Blue Flame Swordsman, Flame Swordsman, Little Wing Guard, Gearfried and Fiend Megacyber slid out of his graveyard. He added them to his deck, shuffled, and drew an additional two cards.

"Then, I play the spell card, Red-Eyes Transmigration, which makes me discard my Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and a Warrior, like Swordsman of Landstar, and lets me bring out one of da baddest guys in my deck!"

The small, pudgy faced warrior and the massive imposing dragon appeared in front of him, and both erupted into flames that took shake from a dragon like shape to a more warrior like shape. It looked like someone had take Red Eyes scales and made them into armor. A warrior, with hard, cold eyes was seen under it. Holding up a blade, he grunted. (2,400/2,000)

"Meet Lord of the Red, kid!" Joey boasted. "And he's got one heck of an effect! But before we get anywhere else, I summon Rocket Warrior!"

Another warrior appeared in front of him, this one with featureless face, save for two determined eyes, and armor that resembled pieces of a rocket. (1,500/1,300)

"Rocket Warrior, enter invincible mode and attack his Pet Dragon!"

Rocket Warrior adjusted and pulled his limbs in, forming a real rocket and flew towards the small dragon. It bounced off the leathery hide, however. The Dragon whimpered a little slumped over and fell to 2,200 Attack Points.

"Lord of the Red, finish him off!"

Lord of the Red held up his blade and slashed at the Dragon. It let out a shriek and exploded.

**(Joey: 2,600) - - - - - - - (Falco: 3,400)**

"I end my turn, kid; let's see whatcha got because I have the home field advantage!"

"For now!" Falco shouted, drawing a card. "I play the spell card, Pot of Greed, letting me draw two new cards!"

He drew two cards and looked at them, grinning.

"Now, I play Arrow Nail onto my Harpie Queen, which lets me increase her attack by 300!"

The Arrow nail appeared on the Queen's hand, and she rose to 2,500.

Joey flashed his son a cunning grin. "And you just played Lord of the Red's special ability! Since you played two spell cards in the same turn, Lord of the Red destroys every monster on your side of the field!"

Lord of the Red gestured, and all four of the Harpies shrieked before spontaneously erupting into black flames. They shattered into pixels a moment later.

Falco's eyes widened, and gulped. He had never seen his father use THIS card before, what else had he added to his deck?

"Well, I haven't summoned this turn, so I still have a way to build up my defense," he said, "I summon Harpie Brother!"

The red scarved winged beast appeared, throwing a punch. (1,800/600)

"Harpies' Brother, attack Rocket Warrior!"

Harpies' Brother rushed forward and sliced at his opponent, blowing it to pieces.

**(Joey: 2,300) - - - - - - - (Falco: 3,400)**

"I have to set one more card facedown and end my turn…" he said, sliding the card on the disk, and it appeared behind him. "And end my turn…"

Joey drew a card and eyed his face down. Joey added the card into his hand, and pointed forward. "Lord of the Red, attack his monster!"

Lord of the Red grabbed his blade, and rushed forward to slice the brother…

"I activate my trap!" He shouted. "Something mom used to play a lot! Mirror Wall!"

"Say what?!"

A massive wall of reflective crystals flew up in front of the warrior, and it sliced at his reflection. His attack fell to 1,200, and Harpies' Brother sliced at the warrior in return, blowing him apart.

**(Joey: 1,800) - - - - - - - (Falco: 3,400)**

Joey couldn't help but grin. "You're coming a long way kid," he said with a proud smile. "But I don't intend to lose to my own son in a tournament, no matter who you are! I play Monster Reborn, to bring back my main man himself, my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

The Holy Ankh appeared on the field and with it the black scaled dragon. It let loose a shrieking roar as it floated in the air. (2,400/2,000)

"And now a new Spell Card, Inferno Fire Blast!"

The spell appeared on the field.

"This is as good as a direct attack from my Red Eyes, and deals you 2,400 Points of direct damage!"

The Red Eyes roared and fired a massive fire ball at the younger, blonde Wheeler. Falco screamed and was thrown backwards.

**(Joey: 1,800) - - - - - - - (Falco: 1,000)**

Joey looked over at his face down, nodding.

_All comes down to what he does next. _He thought. _I've been waiting to spring my Magic-Arm Shield for a while. Wait until the right time, and nail him when he's least expecting it…_

Falco drew a card and looked at it. Before he did anything else, he gestured and Mirror Wall exploded. He then showed his newly drawn card to his father. "I play Spell Book of the Pot! A much more powerful Pot of Greed, but with it, we're both allowed to draw 3 cards!"

Father and son both drew three cards. Falco grimaced at what he had in his hand.

"I play Spell Reproduction. By discarding these two spells…"

He discarded a Triangle Ecstasy Spark and Elegant Egotist and took back a Spell card Joey couldn't see.

"I'll switch Harpie Brother to defense mode, put one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

Harpies' Brother switched to defense position, his arms crossed in front of his chest. A defense position appeared beside the male Harpie.

Joey drew a card and looked at it.

"I summon Panther Warrior!"

With an echoing roar, the purple furred panther wearing gold and black armor appeared, baring his teeth and swinging his scimitar. (2,000/1,600)

"Red Eyes, attack his Harpies' Brother! Inferno Fire Blast!"

Red Eyes let loose another echoing shriek, and fired a fireball at the defense position monster. The winged beast burned to a crisp.

"And since I don't feel like giving up my main guy for Panther Warrior, I'll end my turn." Joey nodded.

Falco nodded and drew.

"I set one card facedown, and end my turn." Falco said, a facedown card appearing in front of him.

Joey drew a card and looked at it. He showed the spell card. "I play Landstar Forces. With this card, I can Special Summon all Landstar monsters in my hand to the field, and I have two, my Grappler of Landstar and my Knight of Landstar."

Two more monsters that looked similar to the Swordsman of Landstar appeared, the Grappler of Landstar wearing a green beret and a knife on the side (1,000/500) while the knight wore knights armor, and a large lance. (1,000/500)

"And I'll sacrifice my Panther Warrior, Grappler, and Knight to summon…"

Falco's eyes widened in surprise as the three monsters were enveloped in bolts of lighting, and a form struck down in front of him, none other than the spirit of lightning itself, Gilford the Lightning. (2,800/1,400)

"And since I sacrificed three monsters for him, every monster on your side of the field is struck down!"

Gilford held up his sword, and a massive bolt of lightning struck down on the defense monster…

And a large idol in the shape of a cat, surrounded by gold coins appeared. It shrieked loudly, and exploded into pixels.

Joey's eyes widened. "No way. Was that…"

"Yep!" Falco grinned. "The Neko Mane King! See, I knew this guy was in your deck too, and with Gilford the Lightning in there too, I figured I'd take another idea from your book and use a monster that was basically meant to counter effects like his! Since you destroyed my Mane King with a card effect, your turn ends immediately!"

Joey smiled a little bit and closed his eyes. "And I think I know what your facedown is…"

Falco smiled and nodded, his facedown flipping up to reveal Hysteric Party. Falco quickly discarded the card he just drew, and Harpie Lady 1, 2, 3, and Queen appeared in front of him, shrieking out loud.

"And then I'll finish it by playing Harpie Lady – Phoenix Formation."

The Harpie Ladies all flew into the air, and turned into the blue flamed phoenix…

Joey kept his eyes closed as the bird swooped in. "Kid…I want you to know…as your father, you know I'm obligated to saying really corny things like this every now and then but…you've come a lot way kid…you've used your mothers deck to the best of its abilities, and I know for a fact that you're going to do amazing things wherever life's gonna lead you."

The massive phoenix swooped down.

Joey smiled through the bright light. "I'm proud of you kid."

A massive explosion ripped apart Joey's field.

**(Joey: 0) - - - - - - - (Falco: 1,000)**

The smoke cleared, and both duelists' fields were clear.

Roland lifted his hand up, and pointed it at Falco. "The winner of the duel – Falco Wheeler!"

The crowd began to cheer, as much as a crowd could cheer when they weren't surrounded by demonic slime.

Joey walked over to his son, and smiled down at him. "Don't worry kid," he said softly.

"Hm?" Falco asked quietly, looking up at his father.

"We're gonna beat this guy," he said, "And Marie's gonna pull through, she's a strong girl, I can tell, so remember kid."

He grinned and ruffled his son's hair.

"Wheeler's don't get sad, we get mad, and we get even."

Falco couldn't help but grin. "Not the most eloquent motto, dad…"

"Meh, it gets stuff done."

Falco wrapped his arms around him in a hug.

Marik scowled a little bit. His eyes narrowed at the younger Wheeler as both walked off the dueling arena, and crossed his arms.

"Well, it looks like history won't repeat itself fully, but I suppose his soul will do for now…"

Yugi and Kaiba watched as he departed, and Yugi nodded. "You hear that too, Kaiba?"

"Something about Souls, yeah." Kaiba mumbled, "Looks like it's another Battle City repeat."

"Looks like I was right too," Yugi said.

"What's that?"

"Your tournaments ARE death traps."

"I hate you."

…

Marik entered his private study and walked over to the trio of cards in the shrine, and stroked one of them slowly with a finger tip. "Soon, my master, soon, your presence shall be known to the world, and your word shall be rule."

"Master," said a voice from the back. From the shadows appeared Matt, his appearance drastically changed. His otherwise orange hair had turned bright silver, and his eyes from behind his glasses turned a horrible crimson red. His skin was paler, somehow, and his eyes seemed to show a little bit more life. "When do you want me to do my own part?"

Marik chuckled a little bit, and looked over at the mirror that he created in his room to watch the duels from this moment on. "I'll let you know, puppet." He said. "We must wait…for the right moment. Losing his girlfriend is one thing, but I want to see how he reacts to losing his best friend and rival as well…"

Matt bowed a little. "Of course, Master." He said. "When the time is right…"

…

The darkness wondered where he was, surrounded by other forms of darkness, and a single pinpoint of light was seen. The form walked to it, and looked through it. A smirk crossed its otherwise pale face.

Claire Upwards time was soon coming…

…

**Red Eyes Transmigration  
Type**: Spell/Ritual  
**Image**: A warrior in black armor covered in black flames  
**Effect**: This card is used to Ritual Summon "Lord of the Red". You must also tribute one "Red Eyes Black Dragon" and one Warrior-Type monster from your field or hand.

**Lord of the Red  
Type**: Warrior/Dark/Effect  
**Attack/Defense**: 2,400/2,000  
**Stars**: 7  
**Effect**: This card can only be ritual summoned by the Ritual Spell Card "Red Eyes Transmigration". If 2 Spell cards are activated during the same turn while this card is face-up on the field, after the resolution of the effect of the second Spell Card, you can destroy all monsters on the field except this card.

**Roll of Fate  
Type**: Spell  
**Image**: A single die sitting between a beautiful maiden and a handsome knight  
**Effect**: Roll 1 Six-Sided Die. Draw the same number of cards from your deck as your result, and send to the graveyard an equal number of cards from the top of your deck.

_Note: Red Eyes Transmigration, Lord of the Red and Roll of Fate were first used by Joey in the anime episode "Fighting for a Friend Part 3". Creative Credit goes to the writers of that episode._

**Landstar Forces  
Type**: Spell  
**Image**: A small group of "Landstar" monsters staring bravely ahead.  
**Effect**: Special Summon as many "Landstar" monsters as possible from your hand.

**Knight of Landstar  
Type**: Warrior/Effect/Earth  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,000/500  
**Stars**: 3  
**Effect**: This card cannot be selected as an Attack Target if you have another monster on your side of the field with "Landstar" in its name.

**Grappler of Landstar  
Type**: Warrior/Effect/Earth  
**Attack/Defense**: 1,000/500  
**Stars**: 3  
**Effect**: When this card is Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned or Special Summoned, you may Special Summon from your hand a monster with the word "Landstar" in its name.

_Note: The above three cards were first used by Joey in the anime episode "Let the Games Begin! Part 2". All creative credit goes to the writer of that episode._

**Phoenix Tear  
Type**: Spell/Quick-Play  
**Image**: Sacred Phoenix Nephtys with her head bowed, a flaming tear dropping onto a dying Freed the Matchless General  
**Effect**: Gain Life points equal to the number of Winged-Beasts-Type monsters on your side of the field X 800.

…

Hey, may have been a bit anticlimactic, but hey, a Wheeler is very well known for bouncing up quickly after a disaster or injury.

Next time, Claire tries her hand at dueling Kaiba. But with something dark and sinister resting in her deck, how long is it until the embrace of darkness grabs at her. Find out next time in "Parasitic Lurker: Fairies and Dragons", coming soon.


End file.
